Bill Dunham: DMV’s snafu ends up costing exchange student his car
I was shocked to learn of something that is “business as usual.” A Japanese student was pulled over in downtown after an illegal turn. He accepts the guilt for the turn. He had a driver’s license, but when the police ran his name with DMV, they found no license. They impounded his car. He went back to Japan two days later and returned recently.
Today we found out that the place where the car was taken now legally owns his car and will sell it back to him for $1,000. He cannot afford this, so because of a ticket, the impound place gets to keep his car.
They charge $50 a day to hold an impounded car, which is obscene. It has been 50 days. So the impound charge is $50 times 50 days, or $2,500 – plus towing.
They told us that after 72 hours they put a lien on the car and now the car is legally theirs. They offered to sell it back to him for $1,000. Then he would have to pay to have it re-registered in his name. They feel they’re giving him a good deal.
Why is this considered reasonable? Considering that the DMV made a mistake, and the car should not have been impounded because he indeed had a valid license, who makes it up to this exchange student?
Bill Dunham, Merced
This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Bill Dunham: DMV’s snafu ends up costing exchange student his car."