License Plate Bill Needs Fixing

Great editorial!
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/License-plate-bill-needs-a-quick-fix-6458638.php

“California is the only state that allows newly sold vehicles to go up to 90 days without license plates. It’s not good for public safety to have cars leaving a hit-and-run accident and other crime scenes without ready means of firm identification. It also costs governments $15 million a year in unpaid tolls.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, proposes to address this problem with AB516, which would require auto dealers to issue temporary license plates (with heavy stock paper) at the point of sale. Those plates would be good for 90 days.

It’s a sound concept — similar to the approach in 10 states — but some consumer groups have raised legitimate concerns about the details. Their main worry is what might happen to vehicle owners who do not receive their permanent plates within 90 days because of slow processing by a car dealer or the DMV. Their expired temporary tags would leave them vulnerable to being pulled over or even ticketed in certain jurisdictions.

Mullin attempted to address this concern with an amendment for people who notify the DMV that they have not received their license plates. But that approach falls short of a satisfactory solution.

‘The burden shouldn’t be on the consumer to prove he or she is innocent,’ said Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety.

Mullin said Friday that he shared those concerns and was working with the bill’s critics on an amendment that would require law enforcement, before issuing a citation, to check with the DMV database to determine whether a permanent license plate had been delivered.

The Assemblyman was hopeful a resolution could be reached before SB516 is heard Monday in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Once it is, this bill should be fast tracked to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. As Mullin rightly noted, ‘There are too many cars on the road without any identifiers whatsoever.’ “