Government Inefficiency is our Best Defense

[kevin_standlee]

I have received a notice from the California Department of Motor Vehicles informing me that I don't have California insurance on my vehicle as required by law and that I must provide proof of insurance soon or face Dire Consequences. Of course I don't have California insurance on my vehicle — It's not a California vehicle anymore! When I bit the bullet and officially established Nevada residency, I got Nevada insurance, registered the vehicle in Nevada, and got a Nevada driver's license. California's automated systems noticed that I no longer had California insurance, but not that I'd re-registered my vehicle in Nevada (and I did have to tell Nevada all about my previous registration and surrender my California license plates), despite the claims that all of the various state computer systems are perfectly interconnected in a panopticon-like system where They Know Everything.

Although I'm annoyed that I have to write to them (in a paper letter; no electronic system, and the notice said the people in DMV offices know nothing about the automatic insurance-monitoring system), I'm oddly reassured that the system is so inefficient that they don't actually know that I re-registered my vehicle and became a Nevadan unless I tell them myself. And I wouldn't be surprised if they still end up sending me more dunning notices for which I'm not actually liable.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Did they write to you in California or in Nevada, or was it email?

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

California. I've retained my PO Box in Sunnyvale although I no longer have a permanent residence address in California.

[timill]

And why is LJ claiming I'm posting anonymously when I'm logged in?

[rono-60103.livejournal.com]

After I traded my Vue on my Prius V last December, I got a similar notification.

[buddykat.livejournal.com]

When I moved to PA, my dad's insurance company noticed that I no longer had a CA license after I got my PA license (cheaper to have multiple cars/drivers on the one policy). When I registered my car here in PA, I just had to write a note on my letter saying that the car was now registered in another state. Since they then sent me another notice, I called and ended up having to write the same note on the new notice and fax it to them - more then once.

The CA DMV is not known for their efficiency.

ETA: And CA was sending the notice to me at my address IN PA. They are also not known for their logic.

[totient]

They are also not known for their logic.

Which is how it is that for some years I carried a California driver license with a Massachusetts address printed on it. No, really.

[howeird]

Why would you need to respond to them at all? You have proof of Nevada insurance and Nevada plates and a Nevada driver's license. I don't see how they could even begin to enforce any Dire Consequences.

[michael j. walsh (from livejournal.com)]

Perhaps if Kevin were in California and pulled over for some reason there might be issues with the police.