My day was just FINE

"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
03/01/2018 at 14:05 • Filed to: None

By which I mean, I got fined. Apparently last week when I drove through Paris, a policeman thought my plate wasn’t readable. So I received a fine in the mail today. But I’m 98% sure my plate was actually perfectly readable, as I’m usually pretty carful about that, and anyway I haven’t cleaned my car since then but instead drove through snowy/salty conditions and they are perfectly readable right now.

So I call bs on that fine, but I’m not sure I can actually go and do something about it. How do you go about proving that your plate was readable two weeks ago? Why didn’t the policeman talk to me/fine me in person that day? So many questions. And 90 bucks is pretty steep too.

Anyway. Shows you how pleasant it is to drive through Paris!

DISCUSSION (20)

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:16

So...how did they track you down to ticket you if they couldn’t read your plate?

duurtlang > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:16

a policeman thought my plate wasn’t readable. So I received a fine in the mail today.

How could he figure out who this car belonged to if he couldn’t read the license plate? Is there an explanation in the fine?

Chariotoflove > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:17

Take a pic and send it in. I don’t know how the traffic courts work there, but here, I got fined because I didn’t have my proof of insurance in the glove box. I sent in proof that I was in fact insured the whole time, and they dismissed the fine.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:17

So how did he know where to fine you if the plate was unreadable.

Mr Fuzz... You do not make any sense.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/01/2018 at 14:25

There’s the argument against the fine. There’s no way they would have been able to mail you a fine if they couldn’t read the plate to figure out who the car belonged to.

Svend > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:25

So your licence plates weren’t readable but they sent you a fine in the post.

How did they know who to send it to if they couldn’t read your plates?

I’d ask to see proof your plates weren’t readable.

Clemsie McKenzie > duurtlang
03/01/2018 at 14:35

I don’t know the exact details as it arrived at my parents’ house so my mom just texted me about it. I assume he thought it wasn’t “readable enough”, which again begs the question of why he didn’t bother to stop me there and talk to me on the spot.

Clemsie McKenzie > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/01/2018 at 14:37

Yeah I’m still confused about this. My mom just texted me about the fine (as I don’t live anymore where it was addressed to), so I haven’t read it in full. But the whole thing is pretty weird to be honest.

Clemsie McKenzie > Chariotoflove
03/01/2018 at 14:38

The thing is the fine was written two weeks ago apparently. It’d be weird if I could disprove it by sending a picture of my plates as they are now

Clemsie McKenzie > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
03/01/2018 at 14:39

That’s what I thought at first. Maybe he meant the back one wasn’t readable so he checked the front one for the fine? But then again, why didn’t they stop me there and then and fine me on the spot if they could do that?

Clemsie McKenzie > Svend
03/01/2018 at 14:42

Maybe they just thought just one of them wasn’t readable enough. I don’t know why they didn’t stop me and talked to me then and there if that was the case anyway.

Chariotoflove > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:44

Yeah, I understand. I was just thinking it’s worth a shot to save $90. Otherwise, just pay it and be done.

Clemsie McKenzie > Chariotoflove
03/01/2018 at 14:47

Yeah I’ll see what I can do for sure, because I really doubt there was any problem with my plate. I’ll talk with my dad who knows more than I do about this type of things (and cars in general, come to think about it), maybe he’ll know what I can do.

Svend > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:52

I’d still contest it.

I mean they could pull the argument that it was barely readable by eye so an ANPR camera would not be able to.

But don’t plant that thought into there minds.

Did it say if it was unreadable from dirt or whether it looked to be a deliberate attempt to hide the licence plate from parking, speeding or congestion charge fees/fines?

Chariotoflove > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 14:54

Good luck. These things really suck.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 15:15

C’est Paris. How else do the Gendarmerie get their money? Certainly not through restrained and effective police work.

Clemsie McKenzie > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
03/01/2018 at 15:23

Yep. Even being a parisian (or near enough) for years now, it still amazes me!

Clemsie McKenzie > Svend
03/01/2018 at 15:26

It didn’t say anything else than “plate unreadable”. Which again I find very hard to believe. I might contest it, but hard to prove that my plate was readable 2 weeks ago!

Svend > Clemsie McKenzie
03/01/2018 at 15:32

And without proof from them, it’s hard for them to prove it was unreadable too.

Clemsie McKenzie > Svend
03/01/2018 at 16:00

True!