DMV nightmare leaves woman driving without a license – she went in person but ‘was turned away’ & now faces $500 fines | D2E53XR | 2024-05-09 12:08:01
DMV nightmare leaves woman driving without a license – she went in person but 'was turned away' & now faces $500 fines | D2E53XR | 2024-05-09 12:08:01
A DRIVER is desperate to renew her license after she was slapped with a $500 fine, but her state's Office of Motor Vehicles won't call back.
Despite months of calls and an in-person visit, Latrice Johnson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana said she couldn't get help.
Johnson was one of several drivers who went to the media to complain about their inability to contact and resolve driver's license issues with the state's OMV.
Johnson had her license suspended after defaulting on a payment for a speeding ticket – which was the issue she was attempting to remedy.
"I've been unable to get back on the payment plan because I've been calling OMV, and there's no answer," she told ABC affiliate WBRZ in 2022
She said she tried to get a hold of someone for months, but each time she called, she'd receive an automated message.
The message was, "We are sorry, but due to a higher-than-normal call volume, we cannot take your call. Please hang up and try again. Thank you."
Without options, Johnson knowingly drove her car without a valid license.
Eventually, she was pulled over by a state trooper for speeding, where it was discovered she was driving without a license.
In Louisiana, that means a $500 ticket.
"When he did stop me, I said, 'Oh Lord, I knew my license was suspended'," she said.
She knew what she was doing was wrong – but she felt helpless given her countless failed attempts to contact the OMV.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> She told the trooper about her issue, and he said her options were limited.
"I was instructed by the state trooper there that I have to just keep calling," she recalled.
Johnson said the incident was embarrassing, but she felt it wasn't her fault the OMV wasn't answering her calls.
"The officers should be more lenient, should not take your plate and embarrass you like that because it's not our fault that motor vehicles is this behind," she said.
Within her circle, she wasn't the only one having issues with the OMV.
"I have friends that are having the same issue," she said.
Without an option, Johnson felt she had no choice but to drive without a valid license, resulting in a $500 fine[/caption]
In March of 2023, eight months after Johnson's story aired, another story from FOX affiliate WVUE-DT was published in New Orleans that highlighted the same issue.
Tammy Oser told the outlet not being able to get through to the OMV could mean the end of her pediatric daycare for special needs children without being able to register her work van.
After trying to register the van online before it was due, the OMV's website flagged the van as being uninsured, despite Oser having proof.
She tried for five days calling every half-hour to contact the agency, with no luck.
"These are children that have trachs, traumatic brain injuries, we have a child who has juvenile ALS, I have children with seizure disorders, I have lots of ill children," she said.
<p class="article__content--intro"> Here are some ways to streamline your DMV experience: </p> </div> </div> "Because if I can't go pick them up, then the children don't get their physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, and speech."
One man, Clifton Carson, tried for three weeks to renew his commercial vehicle license.
Without it, he was unable to work, costing him three weeks' worth of pay.
"It took me three weeks, to call every day, leaving messages, to finally get a hold of them," he said.
"Sometimes, in an emergency, I need to get a piece of equipment from Point A to Point B, and because of that, my hours were cut back, because I couldn't fully fulfill my duties. Because, technically, I could not drive the truck."
The OMV responded to the outlet's request for comment, stating that the main reason for such a slow response time was a lack of employees.
At the time of publication, the OMV spokesperson said there were more than 60 job vacancies, resulting in an overload of work for current employees.
More >> https://ift.tt/7MTNBPH Source: MAG NEWS
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