Temporary tags expire in 60 days

Dear Mahatma: I saw this drive-out tag in Little Rock this month. — Betty

Dear Betty: Thanks for sending a photo of the temp tag on a gray Buick Encore. It’s dated July 23, 2002, and is absolutely shredded.

See following.

Dear Mahatma: Not only does this truck have an expired temporary license tag, but it’s for a 2022 blue Honda Accord. — Sharp-eyed Dude

Dear Dude: Thank you sending two photos of the temp tag on what appears to be a silver GMC pickup.

The second photo, a close shot of the temp tag, indeed says the vehicle is a Honda Accord, and that it’s blue.

Oh, yeah, this tag expired June 19, 2022.

The Legislature this year extended from 30 to 60 days the deadline to license a newly purchased vehicle and pay the sales taxes.

People ask us if the extra time will reduce the cornucopia of expired temp tags.

Answer: We’re a skeptic. With good reason.

People must be paying attention to those expired temp tags, because at a recent legislative meeting legislators asked an Arkansas State Police captain if vehicles with such expired temp tags could be impounded. The captain wisely said that was a matter for the Legislature to consider.

We then asked the state police under what circumstances a vehicle would be towed and impounded.

A few examples include when drivers are cited for driving on a suspended or revoked driver’s license; no driver’s license; any arrest where the arrestee is taken to jail; and vehicles left abandoned in a traffic lane.

Also, we have learned, a vehicle may be impounded at the discretion of an officer if the driver doesn’t have proof of insurance and has been cited, warned or convicted of lack of insurance three times.

Also if the vehicle lacks a license plate, or if the plate or registration is false.

Also if a vehicle is used for purpose of prostitution.

Would public opinion support impoundment for failure to pay sales tax on a vehicle? To our mind, that doesn’t seem a whole lot different than other causes for impoundment.

Dear Mahatma: I invite you to consider “My Wife Thinks You’re Dead” by Junior Brown as The Best Country Song Ever. — Paul

Dear Paul: You reference last week’s column in which we included Jeff Chamberlin’s “If You Wanna Keep Your Beer Cold, Put It Next To My Ex-wife’s Heart.”

We didn’t mention that song as best ever, but rather in the context of country music beer songs.

This is where some readers ask: This is a traffic column?

Yes, but we sometimes get sidetracked.

If we were taking nominations for best country song, ours might be “You’re the Reason Our Kids are Ugly.” From Conway and Loretta.

Nominations are now closed. We think.

As for Junior Brown, we went to Google. That is, for sure, a great country song.

Vanity plate: CLMDOWN. Like the pop hit from Rema and Selena Gomez. (Are we hip, or what?)