Re: Driver Responsibility Assessment

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I too live in another state (CT) and was just introduced to
the DRA on this past Monday when I was stopped for a traffic
violation in upstate NY and informed that my license was
suspended for non-payment of the DRA. Then, I asked what a DRA
was and how I could ever have known that I had to pay one. It
turns out that the DRA was mailed to an address that I lived
at more than 4 years ago, and since I never paid it (since I
never physically received it) it had automatically gone into
suspension. To make this whole scenario even better, I was
also charged with a 3rd degree misdememanor for aggravated
unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle for driving with a
suspended license. When I called DMV to inquire about this
charge and why the hell they didn't have my proper address
they told me that it is my responsibility to call into the DMV
of a state that I do not reside in and update them as to
address changes, really? To make DMV and the court system of
the state of NY look even worse, I had received a violation or
two from two seperate towns in NY since I had lived at my new
address and those towns had no problem sending the fines to
the correct address - and amazinlgy I paid them when they made
it to me.

The point of my whole story is that I now have to drive 10
hours round trip to appear before a judge in Plattsburgh, NY
on a 3rd degree misdemeanor criminal charge because the NYS
DMV does not apparently communicate with the local court
systems. Amazingly, though, they somehow receive all of the
convictions and attach those directly to our license, but
overlook little things like addresses that appear on
everyone's drivers license everytime they are pulled over.

I could not be more furious with the NYS DMV since this is
clearly a case of another DMV screw up that is going to cost
me a lot of additional time & expense to argue a ticket that
will most likely be dismissed.I will personally be sending, or
possibly hand delivering on my drive to Plattsburgh, a letter
to Commissioner Swarts located at 6 Empire State Plaza,
Albany, NY 12228 conveying not only the ridiculous nature of
these fines, but also the incredibly incompetent people and
processes that they employ in their day to day dealings with
the public.