If a company isn’t following the rules, then charge its customers for the violations? That appears to be the case with a North Texas Toyota dealership allegedly flouting the law regarding temporary registration tags. As a result, law enforcement has begun citing the person behind the wheel, regardless of their relationship with the dealership.
According to WFAA ABC 8, the Prosper Police Department is fed up with local dealerships, particularly Longo Toyota of Prosper. Law enforcement says the dealership, which is located roughly 40 miles north of Dallas, has been operating demo vehicles without a visible license plate. However, after numerous attempts at enforcement, the Toyota dealer continues to allow its vehicles to be driven without the proper tags. As a result, officers now ticket the driver, even if it’s just a customer on a test drive.
“He said in order for us to make [the dealerships] abide, we’re going to start citing the customers,” said Daniel Rocha. Rocha was test-driving a truck when he was pulled over and cited for “Operating a Vehicle Without License Plates.”
Prosper PD said, “Failure to properly display dealer tags on test-driven vehicles is a violation of Texas law and can pose safety risks, potentially resulting in enforcement action by law enforcement. Under state law, vehicle operators are held responsible for any citations if this law is ignored.”
Rocha said the officer told him that vehicles lacking license plates were a regular occurrence with the dealership. Longo Toyota disagreed. ABC 8 quotes an unnamed general manager who confirmed the traffic violation but insisted it was the first such incident for the dealership. How many plate-related traffic stops have been made is unknown, but Rocha was told it is an ongoing issue in the area, particularly along University Drive and U.S. 380.
In a statement, Longo Toyota said, “We recently became aware of an issue during a test drive, which we are actively working to address and resolve. Driver safety is a core value for us, and we proudly sponsor a driver education program in our local area. Our team is dedicated to the well-being of our guests and the community we serve.”
The dealership “resolved” the issue with him by offering to reimburse the traffic ticket, said Rocha, but only if he purchased the truck. He didn’t. Longo Toyota denies such a deal was ever presented. The cost of the citation appears to be $240, and Rocha also has a court date to address it. Hopefully, the judge will dismiss the case and punt the violation back to the dealership.
Yes, life is unfair, but this is inexcusable if the dealership can’t be bothered to affix temp tags. For its part, Longo can afford it. The Prosper dealership is one of several under the Penske Motor Group umbrella. If the Longo name sounds familiar, the El Monte, California, location has been the number one Toyota dealer in the world in sales since 1967. Prosper is nowhere near that level and stands to lose sales if customers are being fined for its failure to simply affix its demonstrators with the proper tags.
Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com