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Driver Lifestyles

Nightmare on Oak Street

By Road Law
Posted Jan 3rd 2005 4:41PM

You’re dead asleep and you’re in the middle of a horrible nightmare in which you’re driving across Ohio (a nightmare in itself!). As your dream goes on, a police officer pulls you over and writes you three (3) separate tickets;


1. “Speeding 70/55,”
2. “Driving Under Suspension” and
3. “No Valid Operator License in Possession.”

The officer gives you the last two tickets after he runs a check on your Florida driver license and tells you Florida Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has suspended your driver license for non-payment of child support.

“How can this be,” you think to yourself. Then, you suddenly wake up with the sun shining and the birds singing. It really was just a bad dream after all . . . or was it? It certainly wasn’t for a recent client.  That’s right. These were the actual facts of a recent case of ours.  This case presented so many “real life” issues and potential problems that we wanted to share it with you.

So, based on the information above, test your “puzzle solving” abilities by reading and trying to answer the following questions.  The correct answers will be listed at the end of the column.

1. When the Officer gives you the three tickets you:

A. Call him/her a !@#$%^&*() and drive away.

B. Accept the tickets in a professional manner and say as little as possible.

C. Accept the tickets and try to explain to the Officer that there must be some mistake.

2. After the Officer informs you that you’re free to go, you begin to drive and, thinking about the “Driving Under Suspension” and “No Valid Operator License in Possession” tickets, you decide that there’s got to be a mistake because: 

A. The Florida DMV is always wrong.

B. You have a Restraining Order in your wallet, signed by the same Judge that heard your divorce case, that prevents your driver license from being suspended.

C. After you received your notice of suspension from Florida DMV, you took it straight to Court and asked the Judge to sign a Restraining Order that prevented your licensed from being suspended. Then, you took your signed Restraining Order to your DMV so they could process it and officially reinstate your license.


3. When you stop later for fuel, you notice that your Ohio Court date for all three tickets is in about a month. Knowing you have 30 days before you have to go to Court, you:

A. Stuff the tickets under your seat and forget about them.

B. Decide when you can get to the nearest Florida DMV office to show them your original, signed Restraining Order. Then, request the DMV agent to reinstate your license and give you a certified copy of your now updated and valid driver abstract to show the Ohio Judge.

C. Call your “Ex” and yell at him/her.

4. When you appear in Court for your three Ohio traffic tickets, i.e. “Speeding 70/55,” “Driving Under Suspension” and “No Valid Operator License in Possession,” you take your certified, updated and valid driver abstract with you. When your name is called, you:

A. Ask the Judge, “What time is it” and when the Judge tells you, say “No further questions your Honor” and leave the courtroom.

B. Tell the Court you’re there, ask if you can “approach the bench,” and show the Judge your Restraining Order and your now valid driver abstract.

Then, calmly explain to the Judge that, although you had your Restraining Order before you received your tickets, you mistakenly put it in your wallet instead of giving it to your DMV to process.

Also, before the Judge agrees to dismiss the “Driving Under Suspension” and “No Valid License” tickets, ask her if she would please dismiss the “Speeding” ticket too. When the Ohio Judge stops laughing, ask if she would at least amend the charge to “Speeding 69/55” and thank her for doing so.

C. Call your “Ex” and yell at him/her. 

Answers: 1.- B;  2.- C;  3.- B;  4.- B

We hope you can use the information in this column to help with every day, real life problems you face on the road.  We invite you to send us any questions or comments you may have regarding transportation law to ROAD LAW, 1330 N. Classen Blvd., Suite 215, Oklahoma City, OK 73106; fax to (405) 272-0558; contact us through our website at www.roadlaw.net or call us at (405) 272-0555.  We look forward to hearing from you.