AMET question

L

laurapasinifan

Silver
Sep 19, 2005
4,632
91
48
If a tourist gets stopped by AMET police for a traffic violation( for lack of a better DR term) and they dont have a drivers license on them. What if any do you think the ramifications would be? A few trips back I got snagged for not wearing a seat belt in Santiago, by one of the cops who stand on the corner. It was a shakedowen i figured because no one in the next 30 cars that passed by had a seat belt either!!!!!!!!!! He just saw a nicer car and an american...oh he will pay the ticket....anyway he took my license. And it took me three days to get it back. I had to go to the police station with my reciept for my paid fine to get my licese back. I am thinking if I am on my last day there..I wont get my licese back at all!. So maybe Ill just say I dont have it on me next time......as it was the stupid fine was only 100 pesos!!!.....and about 3 hours of my time.... so of course i always wear the belt in town now no matter that I am one of only about 10% who do.....

I have seen the AMETS get tough sometimes as well though....I see many in santiago now days.. In a 6 block stretch of Las Carreras I bet you will find 7 or more AMET cops...sure sometimes 3 of them are all talking together in one place!! ha ha ha

my buddy who lives in the states and the dr, says if they take his license, he will just let them keep it...maybe he thinks the fine will be huge. He has been stopped a few times for stuff, but since he is in the national guard there. he has gotten off by showing that ID. but he said as well they only stop nice cars and people that look like they have money.

bob
 
A

amy2761

Island Body
Mar 16, 2003
881
0
0
41
www.dr1.com
Got pulled over a few days ago in Navarete. Apparently I'd driven through a red light without blinking an eye ... this is not normal behavious for me, honestly, it was a mistake!!

The AMET guy lazily guestured that I pull over (once I'd reached the other side of the intersection) and came up to the car. He politely asked me if I know I just drove through a red light (must have been the look of surprise on my face) and I told him no, that I must have been on another planet because I didn't see it ... then he asked where I was from and where I lived ... told me to have a good day and sent me off!!

Once I pulled away, Hannelie, my daughter said "See mama, see what happens if you drive straight through a red light ... red STOP green GO!! You'll get in trouble if you do it again!" She's 4 :D

Stay well,
Amy
 
H

Hipocrito Mejia

Bronze
Jan 5, 2006
1,582
38
0
It is illegal for AMET officers to take away your license. There were articles about this in the different newspapers, as recently as last week.

If you get pulled over, do not under any circumstances, even show your driver's license.
 
Robert

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Hipocrito Mejia said:
It is illegal for AMET officers to take away your license. There were articles about this in the different newspapers, as recently as last week.

If you get pulled over, do not under any circumstances, even show your driver's license.
Click to expand...

Exactly!

But most people feel intimidated and give it up.
 
H

HOWMAR

Silver
Jan 28, 2004
2,624
2
0
Hipocrito Mejia said:
If you get pulled over, do not under any circumstances, even show your driver's license.
Click to expand...
And what do you think their response to that will be? I wouldn't want to find out.
 
H

Hipocrito Mejia

Bronze
Jan 5, 2006
1,582
38
0
HOWMAR said:
And what do you think their response to that will be? I wouldn't want to find out.
Click to expand...

Nothing! They are not going to pull you out of the car and beat you in public.

Do not get intimidated, and just politely talk to the officer. Tell him that you will gladly pay the fine, but that there's no reason for you to give up your license. 9 times out of 10, they won't even bother to give you a ticket.
 
H

HOWMAR

Silver
Jan 28, 2004
2,624
2
0
Hipocrito Mejia said:
Nothing! They are not going to pull you out of the car and beat you in public.

Do not get intimidated, and just politely talk to the officer. Tell him that you will gladly pay the fine, but that there's no reason for you to give up your license. 9 times out of 10, they won't even bother to give you a ticket.
Click to expand...
I wasn't talking about giving up my license. I was referring to you refusing to show your license. How are they going to issue a ticket without seeing it? Or are you simply offering to pay the officer cash for a ticket issued to Jose Doe.
 
R

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
58
48
Robert said:
Exactly!

But most people feel intimidated and give it up.
Click to expand...
They may not have the right to confiscate your license, but my guess is that they have the right to ask to see it. Once they have it their hands, if they want to keep it, there is no way you are going to get it back.

Your idea of keeping a copy sounds much more practical.
 
A

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
If amet is really a hard a$$ed cop, he may seize your car for driving without a license. I have seen this happen to someone.
AZB
 
L

laurapasinifan

Silver
Sep 19, 2005
4,632
91
48
thats the thing you need to avoid....making the cop do soemthing even he knows he isnt supposed to do. But there is no rebutal....he does it... and then it is you who has the trouble getting it straightened out...he will never get in trouble.....at the best SOMEONE will say to him..please dont do that again....meanwhile, how much of a headache did you suffer through. I think the copy of a license is the way to go...he gets the info he wants... and you dont loose soemthing you dont want to loose......I am glad i posted this...Now I know he isnt SUPPOSED to take my license.......

I have to get that card from the general who runs some army outfit north of Santiago from my buddy who is related to that guy..... that MAY help most of the time.....bob
 
S

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,503
3,634
113
All you need to do if stopped is have a color laminated copy of your license and give it to them. When he complains to you, do not speak any Spanish. They will keep the copy.
 
badpiece33

badpiece33

Silver
Jun 24, 2002
3,558
496
83
San Felipe de Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
My personal experience with Amet has been that they are very profesional while stopping you for a traffic infraction and usually do so when you have violated a traffic regulation, not like before when you were stopped just for being a tourist. Carry a photo copy of your license while on vacation and be polite with them and 4 out of 5 times they will give you a break or worst case scenario will keep the copy of your license and give you a ticket you will never have to pay anyway.

Badpiece
 
L

laurapasinifan

Silver
Sep 19, 2005
4,632
91
48
Hipocrito Mejia said:
It is illegal for AMET officers to take away your license.
QUOTE]

how long has then been the story? because in september 05 when I got my ticket. I had to go to the police station to retrieve my license.
I went into a room with three officers. they had four storage cabinets there. the grey cheapo kind, about 80" high X 36" wide. They open one up and there are four maybe five shelves inside. They asked what state I am from. I say NY. they reach in the middle shelf and pull out maybe 10 bundles of licenses about 2" thick each wrapped in a few rubber bands. they handed me a bundle , my gf one and her father a bundle as well. And each of the 3 cops took a bundle and we all started looking for my license!!! it took maybe 10 minutes. ALL THOSE LICENSE's were NEW YORK drivers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.that whole shelf was NY drivers!!!! ha ha ha there were at least 30 or 40 bundles of NY licenses on that shelf!!!!!!!

The cabinets had at least a few thousand license in them all total I would guess!!!!!!!!

needless to say up to that point the cops were taking plenty of licenses!!!!!!!!!!!

BOB
Click to expand...
 
Robert

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
badpiece33 said:
give you a ticket you will never have to pay anyway.
Click to expand...

Unless you have a DR license. Fines are now linked to the license, so your going to have a problem renewing the license if you don't pay the fine.

You can get find here everyday and it's only going to cost you money, no points system in the DR.
 
Robert

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Below are some photos I took with my camera phone from inside the AMET building here in Santo Domingo. Yes, I had to go pay a fine when I jumped a red light just before Christmas. I tried to talk my way out of it, but almost running over the AMET cops trying to stop me didn't help my situation :) Despite this, they dealt with me very professionally.

I blame "Scandal", he made me try and live up to his expectation that an Englishman is always on time.

The line to get in the building at 7.30am.
amet_1.jpg


Inside the court waiting for the judge.
I had to confess my sins and explain to the judge what happened.
She was actually young and pretty cute, but I didn't have the gonads to ask for her number.
She gave me a RD$50 fine :)
amet_2.jpg


Boxes of licenses in the car park outside.
amet_3.jpg
 
L

laurapasinifan

Silver
Sep 19, 2005
4,632
91
48
you know I wasnt kidding huh!!

well when i paid my fine.. there was NO line..I had to wait for 15 minutes till "somebody" came back from where ever they went. Then My gf's father did all the talking and it took 30 seconds for him to come out and say "100 pesos"... and we are off just like that....no one else even sitting around waiting!!!!!!! that was santiago!..of course I had to make sure I had my reciept, to get my license back.


gee I only, didnt have seat belt on. And the traffic that i was in, was going about 2 mph _____when it was going.....

you ran a red light and got away with $50 pesos

think my GF father stiffed me?????????? ha ha ha ha

bob
 
H

HOWMAR

Silver
Jan 28, 2004
2,624
2
0
laurapasinifan said:
you know I wasnt kidding huh!!

well when i paid my fine.. there was NO line..I had to wait for 15 minutes till "somebody" came back from where ever they went. Then My gf's father did all the talking and it took 30 seconds for him to come out and say "100 pesos"... and we are off just like that....no one else even sitting around waiting!!!!!!! that was santiago!..of course I had to make sure I had my reciept, to get my license back.


gee I only, didnt have seat belt on. And the traffic that i was in, was going about 2 mph _____when it was going.....

you ran a red light and got away with $50 pesos

think my GF father stiffed me?????????? ha ha ha ha

bob
Click to expand...
Typical Dominican logic in determining the schedule of fines. 50 pesos for running a red light, 100 pesos for not wearing a seatbelt. My driver committed the ultimate infraction, 200 pesos for talking on a cell phone.
 
H

Hipocrito Mejia

Bronze
Jan 5, 2006
1,582
38
0
laurapasinifan said:
I have to get that card from the general who runs some army outfit north of Santiago from my buddy who is related to that guy..... that MAY help most of the time.....bob
Click to expand...

That would solve a lot of problems! ;)

I don't know exactly how long it has been illegal for AMET to confiscate licenses, however, the chief of the national police stated last week that it was illegal, and that any citizen who has their license confiscated during a traffic stop can file a legal complaint against the officer.

Now, I know how laws are strictly followed in DR ;), so just use your common sense. AMET officers are very professional for the most part, and would understand if you "lost/misplaced your license". ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom