This isn't very neighborly of me but...

I'm going to start this off by saying that I'm not a busybody and generally follow a live and let live philosophy.
Ok, now heres my busybody issue - the woman across the street from me has drives a car everyday that hasn't been registered in at least 3 years.
The family that lives there is a widow who is super nice, very smart, lovely woman. Her daughter came to live with her after the daughter got divorced and brought her now 12 year old daughter to live there too.
Its the grown daughter's car that is unregistered. I found out that the car's tags were expired about 2 years ago (at that point they had been overdue for about a year). The woman told me that she and her mother were very embarrassed that she couldn't/hadn't renewed them but she was finalizing her divorce and I figured she would take care of it soon.
Now, 2 years later the car is still unregistered and shes taken the sticker off the license plate so its not so obvious.
So here are my questions/issues. Can you insure an unregistered vehicle? If you can get insurance (like they just don't ask for proof of registration) would the company have to honor the claim if she was in an accident?
She drives her kid and her nieces/nephews around in this car everyday and shes on the road with me and my kids.
The only thing I can think of to do about it is put in a phone call to the police but that seems harsh, I don't want to get her punished, I just want to make sure shes insured. I REALLY don't want to have a conversation with her about it because shes super sensitive and has told me shes embarrassed about it and I don't want to screw up the cordial social relationship I have with her and the rest of my culdesac. Shes one of those people who is nice enough to chit chat with but I know she would bad mouth me to the neighbors if I brought this up and shes much closer to them than I am.

 

I think it erased what I originally tried to post, so hopefully this isn't a double post. In short (since the other was longer)I think it varies by state, but here registration and insurance have nothing to do with each other. My dh had expired tags and we could not afford to get his car fixed to enable him to pass emissions (oxygen sensor faulty). If you don't pass emissions, you can't renew your tags. He got pulled over three times for expired tags (I can't believe she has made it this long without a ticket) and when he was given a ticket we decided that we had to find a way to take care of it. Regardless, we had insurance the entire time and our company has never asked for proof of registration or anything like that.

 

Here you can insure a vehicle without the tag being current.

 

You can insure a car without the car being registered. I work in insurance and we do not really care if the car is registered or not. In fact you cannot register a car without insurance. But once you register a car you can let your insurance lapse the very next day and nobody really cares.

Honestly I do not think the police will do anything about it. The only time it would become an issue is if she hit someone. You would not believe how many people are driving around uninsured.

In fact when I went to register my car this year they just asked me if everything was the same and I said yes. They did not need any proof.

From a claims point of view I believe the claim is paid regardless on if the registration is paid up. One here does not have to do with the other.

 

I don't know what the laws are for where you live are but if the car is unregistered it cannot have an inspection sticker on it and it is unsafe to have it on the road that way.

Here in my State they are going after out of state vehicles. IMHO that vehicle if not registered in the state that it is being used in is breaking the law. I would see if there was some type of tip line you could call anonymously.

Sure the woman feels bad about the fact that she has not taken care of this yet but why? I mean she is saving money. Wouldn't it be great if we all could. Laws are set in place to protect (others and self) and her driving this vehicle around unregistered/un-inspected is not safe.

 

Just to make this a little more complicated... we live near the KS/MO border and the car's very expired plate is from Missouri because she lived there before her divorce. We live in Kansas. Don't know if that even has any bearing.

 

This probably won't be a popular opinion, but honestly, I would keep my nose out of it. It isn't your business to police the matter. I'm not saying it to be mean, I'm just giving you my opinion. If you are not sure of all the issues going on and the reasons behind things, then I'd keep to myself. It's her business, and odds are, you won't get into an accident with her. Truly though, I'm not trying to be mean about it.

 

Here you can insure it but you can't register it without insurance.

 

I think she's just escaping paying taxes. I don't think it would affect anything at all if she got into a wreck. She's still liable. It's not fair for her to not register, but it will catch up to her at some point. I agree with Heather to try to just ignore it.

 

I don't take it as mean at all. I think in the end, I ultimately agree with you but I look at this car everyday and wonder
1. How the heck does she manage to not get a ticket? I would get one the first day my tags expired, I swear!
2. I pay to get my vehicle properly registered, why should she get away with it for 3 years?
3. The family lives in a nice house, wear nice clothes, they don't appear to want for anything and getting her car registered would be less then $300 (unless shes racked up fines by now).
4. I honestly wanted to know if she was putting her kids or anyone else in the perilous position of driving in an uninsured car.

 

Kansas does require proof of insurance in order to register your car or renew your tags. I have never been asked by my insurance company for proof that I registered my car.

 

you could add a #5 also

5. she could be driving unlicensed. Which is dangerous for you/your family.

Most accidents happen close to home and if she lives across the street then her close to home is in your circle and bulls-eye of travel placing you and your loved ones in danger of bodily injury and property damage.

 

chances are the vehicle is insured but not registered - which is nothing more than a summary ticket...it also could be that the vehicle was registered in her ex-husbands name and if there is a loan on it she can't get it registered in her name - which is not an excuse but loan companies don't like to rewrite loans - if the vehicle is paid off then there really isn't an excuse not to register/inspect the vehicle...

 

In Oklahoma we no longer have inspections but to get your tag you have to have insurance

 

In many states insurance is different. Some states are no fault states so regardless on who is at fault in the accident your policy pays. States like Indiana would require you to have uninsured insurance on your policy which would protect you if an uninsured driver was to be at fault in the accident and hit your car. Many people waive this coverage however.

I personally would not get into it. I used to work with a person that would peel stickers off other cars or even move plates from car to car just to avoid paying for registrations.

 

Is this a just-out-of-reach irritation? Honestly, I'd be irritated, but I wouldn't do anything about it either. I'm also a person who would get a ticket the day after expiration, so I feel your pain!

About #4 - the only thing perilous is if she is an unsafe driver, which has nothing to do with insurance. If she's at fault in an accident, the other person's insurance (uninsured/underinsured) will usually cover themselves (and the insurance company would then sue her for that money) and if the other person doesn't have UM/UIM or is uninsured, they are free to take her to court. She, of course, must pay her own bills either through her health insurance or other form of payment. In any case, not having insurance is not perilous and it's also not a free ride either because she could lose assets.

 

Honestly, what does having an unregistered car have to do with #5?

Wanted to add that she might be having trouble getting the title moved to her name because of the divorce which could make it difficult for her to get the tag she needs.

 

This is my feeling on the matter as well. The chance that you would be involved in an accident with that particular car are infinitesimal so you are at no risk. To worry that your neighbor is getting away with breaking a rule while you always follow the rule is silly......plenty of people speed right past you on the interstate without getting a ticket & that probably doesn't bother you at all.....and is much more likely to cause an accident that might involve you. As far as the concern that, no matter how small, she might have an accident that would cause a problem for you.....yes is in the REMOTE area of possibility but none of the facts you have conveyed indicate she is a risky driver, the car is unsafe, or that you are in harm's way so, IMO, it is an unfounded concern. So, it seems like it irritates you more than threatens you. If you are that concerned about it, offer to pay for the registration yourself as a personal, directed act of charity.

 

I hope my neighbors aren't talking about me in a post somewhere!

Our tags expired 3 months ago. I have no excuse except that I haven't done it. My only day off is Mondays, which is the day the DMV is closed. Then during the week life gets so crazy, I forget. Last year, our stickers were stolen off our cars. I used to work for a non-profit that assisted people in need and was often in some pretty bad areas. We ended having to buy new stickers in February, only to have them expire again in June. It costs almost $150/car.

Anyway, (wow that was way more info than you needed) my cars are expired. We are current on our insurance, my drivers license is up to date, I have never been in an accident and my only ticket ever was a parking ticket. The lack of registration is in no way harming my kids. I don't see why it is that big of a deal. If she gets a ticket, she deals with it, but not having your car registered doesn't automatically mean you are negligent in everything else car related.

 

I am able to renew my registration via internet, even if it's expired. I can't see any reason that this should require an in-person visit to the DMV. I accidentally drove around with expired tags for 9 months because I never received a renewal notice in the mail. When I discovered the embarrassing error, I was able to pay right away on the website and print out a temporary registration until the stickers came in the mail two days later.

Anyway, I don't have too much to say on the original topic that hasn't already been said. Our community is known for having very stringent guidelines and unregistered vehicles may not be parked on the street. There is one time that I did complain (anonymously) about this but only because the car was a junker and was parked in an inconvenient place.

 

Same here.

 

Some states have the bureaucratic wisdom to require you to have proof of insurance before you can get a drivers license. So, you have to have proof of registration to get insurance on the car, and proof of insurance to get the license, etc.

 

In Illinois, if it is overdue and requires an emissions test, it has to be done in person. Both cars were scheduled for the emissions test, which we had, but we have to take in the results to the DMV.

 

Her 1-4 were
"1. How the heck does she manage to not get a ticket? I would get one the first day my tags expired, I swear!
2. I pay to get my vehicle properly registered, why should she get away with it for 3 years?
3. The family lives in a nice house, wear nice clothes, they don't appear to want for anything and getting her car registered would be less then $300 (unless shes racked up fines by now).
4. I honestly wanted to know if she was putting her kids or anyone else in the perilous position of driving in an uninsured car."

My #5 "5. she could be driving unlicensed. Which is dangerous for you/your family. "

she has not "had the time" to register the vehicle and she removed the sticker from the plate to make it less obvious. How likely is it that she has "found the time" to get a license at all. To me this is a legitimate question. If she had her license has she found the time to transfer it to this new state she is living in? And will she find the time to renew when it runs out?

This neighbor has been driving an unregistered vehicle for over 2 years, She may not have insurance on the vehicle and she most likely has not had it inspected this whole time. To me it is not unimaginable that she could be driving unlicensed also.

 

yes but not having a valid unexpired license doesn't have anything to do with how safe you drive...it means if she can't produce her license when she's stopped she'll get another ticket...I'm sure she's passed a drivers test and knows how to drive - the little plastic card in her wallet has nothing to do with it...

 

What?

That little plastic card means nothing? So why should anyone bother to get one.

Sure all she'll get is an additional ticket if she gets pulled over if it is just not up to date. But this is not all she would have against her. She will likely get much more than a ticket because she is also driving an unregistered, possibly uninsured vehicle without a valid license.

BUT what if she is driving around without a valid license because she either never passed/failed her test or because she lost it due to a bad driving record. Scary thought for those on the road with her.

That little plastic card has plenty to do with how safe others are who travel on the same roads as this woman who has been driving an unregistered vehicle for over two years. So it is not unrealistic to think that this woman also does not have a valid drivers license.

 

Wow, this thread just reminds me once again how so often assumptions are made based soley on a simple issue. Yes, she hasn't registered her car. Yes, she has gotten away with it. That is her problem. Mine is overdue also. Somehow that simple act of negligence/laziness leads to me being an unlicensed, unsafe, uninsured, and overall dangerous driver. Good grief.

 

thank you Cristina - this is what I meant Cheryl - just because her vehicle is unregistered has nothing to do with her license OR her insurance...if you read my ENTIRE post it said "she's probably passed her drivers test previously"...when you change states you don't retake your test - you just get a new license in the new state...so if her MO license expired and she didn't get one in KS it has NOTHING to do with how safe she drives - and she may drive even safer so she DOESN'T get pulled over!

 

Oklahoma just started doing internet renewals this year, whether expired or not. DH and I are notorious for letting our tags expire. The family joke is that we just figure in penalty fees for a few months because it will take us that long, every single time. There are only 2 tag offices within an hour of my house, both keep inconvenient hrs and I dread taking a handful of little kids in when I know I'll be waiting in line at least 30 minutes. So I procrastinate every single time. Doesn't make me an unsafe driver and it certainly doesn't make me uninsured. And even if I was, isn't that the point of uninsured motorist coverage?

 

I'm in Kansas. You do not have to show registration to get insurance at all. There are only inspections when you go register a vehicle the first time from out-of-state. It's not an emissions inspection. It's an inspection by a state trooper to make sure that your vin on your paper work matches the vin on your car. Then you can register.

I would imagine there are a couple of things holding this lady back. Since you don't know the state of the title from the divorce, that could be a problem. Since she moved from out of state, she would have to 1) find a tag office near her. 2) find out what time the state trooper is there. One of them by us gets the state trooper for 3 hours on Monday mornings only. The other one gets the state trooper on Wednesday mornings for 3 hours only. 3) Stand in line for inspection and then stand in line for registering her car. 4) She has to figure out if she can afford to register in Kansas which costs a whole lot more than most states and definitely more than Missouri. If her money is so tight she moved home, taking the time off of work to do inspection and pay a higher taxes and registration fees might be difficult.

Now, after the car is registered the first time, it's easy. I do mine through the mail. You can also pay on-line with a credit card, but you pay an extra 3% to cover the fees.

I'm not trying to justify what she's doing. But registering a car from out of state is decidedly more of a pain than registering one from in state and renewing it in Kansas. My dh bought his car in Oklahoma so we've been through it.

Marissa

 

Wouldn't bother me a bit. I never would have even noticed probably! I would stay out of it too. Good luck.

 

When we first moved to NV I had an expired tag for about 3 months. I just never had the time to get it done. Doesn't mean I was a reckless driver or that I didn't have insurance. Heck I was even more careful just in case.. Maybe this lady is too. I would stay out of it personally..she seems to of had a hard enough time with her divorce and stuff. Brandy

 

I am SOOOO not the type to notice, let alone CARE about someone else's tabs on their car. It's their business not mine.

I leave other people alone as long as they are not bothering me.

Live and let live. Life is too short to worry about stuff like this, it really really is. Plus, who has time?

 

Since we move ALL THE TIME it seems like I can vouch that registering a car in many states is a PITA! We have always had insure on our vehicles but this last move we did not rush out the door to register the cars before the tags expired. As a matter of fact I left it on DH list of to do and he didn't do it for almost six months after the fact. The only reason he finally did it is because he realized the military will not pay you to move any of your own stuff without current registration and he did not want to lose out on that money. We are both safe drivers, always have had insurance and honestly did not feel like going through the hassle of registering our cars when we knew we were moving again in less than a year.
Not to be mean, but it seems kind of petty on your part and it does make you sound like a busybody. I can't help but picture Aunt Petunia from the Harry Potter books...I say let it go and spend that time you would use to worry about your neighbor on something more constructive.

 

Not possible in all states. In Kentucky, the DMV doesn't even take credit cards yet! :blink:

:clapping: I hate when people make assumptions about our fiances like, "it is only $300." $300?! :80: It would take us months and months of saving and never buying anything besides necessities to save that kind of money. Yes, we have a nice house and wear nice clothes (not really expensive or fancy, but nice). But, the house payment takes most of our money since they economy tanked and DH's commission was cut pretty much in half and most of our clothes are gifts from my mom and BF. I even had to get a part-time job recently because we were struggling with the house payments. Heck, DH even drives a newer car that he bought before his commission was cut. So, for us, that $300 would mean being REALLY late on a house payment or missing a car payment. For me, the choice would be easy and we would not renew the tags until we could save the money.