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What Do You Carry For Id?


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Sometime later this month, the Weaselmobile will hit 200K miles -- and they warn't gentle miles, neither. In part as a result of attendant nervousness, I carry my whole wallet -- driver's license, check book, credit cards, AAA card, work ID, cash enough for a cab ride home from the far reaches of my caching territory. I have a bad feeling something catastrophic and expensive is going to happen to me early some Sunday morning and, dressed in my usual caching plumage, I'm going to need to summon up all the scratch and artificial credibility I can get.

 

I've had a couple of near misses with that wallet lately, though, and I'm beginning to think I shouldn't be scrambling around the woods with so many valuables (I've got a Charles II Maundy groat in there! Eh, Google it already). However, I don't trust me to pull all the most important bits out of my wallet and assemble a temporary ID package, then put it all back again before I head out for work on Monday. And I don't want to leave it in the car for fear of losing the lot.

 

So, here's my specific question: Is it legal to drive carrying a Xeroxed copy of my driver's license? Or would that vary by state? I'm told you don't technically have to carry your license in the UK, as long as you do have a valid license, which made me think of the question. Law enforcement types: if I told you I was doing it that way because I was a hiker and didn't want to carry my official junk into the woods, would it make any difference?

 

Here's my general question: what do you carry caching for ID and cards and cash and stuff?

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I'm fairly certain that a xeroxed DL will not cut the mustard with the fuzz.

 

When caching (or doing nearly anything else) I have my wallet along, complete with credit and debit cards, DL, health insurance cards, SSID, any cash and my beloved Costco ID. I usually wear hiking pants when geocaching so the back pocket where I keep my wallet either has a zipper or a flap with velcro.

 

I figure its way safer than leaving it under the seat of my car. Cars at trailheads are way too much of a target to leave valuables behind.

 

The only time I don't have my wallet along is when I'm canoeing or skiing. I have a neck wallet and I put my DL and a credit card in it and leave everything else home.

If I'm skiing it goes around my neck and if I'm canoeing, it goes in my small dry bag that I attach to a thwart.

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I'm told you don't technically have to carry your license in the UK, as long as you do have a valid license,

 

Here's my general question: what do you carry caching for ID and cards and cash and stuff?

No, we don't have to carry anything and if your stopped you have seven days to produce it at your local police station.

 

All I carry is a credit card, ATM card, and AA card (breakdown).

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A xerox copy of your DL is probably better than nothing at all, however, you'll still prolly get a ticket. I'ver heard in Missouri that if you are ticketed for not having your DL, when you show-up for court and produce it, they'll let you off the hook. But what a hassle to have to go to court ... ick!

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I'ver heard in Missouri that if you are ticketed for not having your DL, when you show-up for court and produce it, they'll let you off the hook. But what a hassle to have to go to court ... ick!

 

I think its that way most places. Beyond having to go to court, the problem is that if you are driving, they won't let you continue to drive without a license. You might also get your car towed.

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Every state I've lived in (navy brat and USAF) xeroxed copies are illegal.

 

As for my wallet, it goes with me everywhere I go. When out in the woods, I make it a point to put it in a zippered pocket inside my backpack.

 

I put it under the seat of my Jeep one time and worried the entire day until I got back and was able to breathe a sigh of relief that it was still there.

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You bring up a good question.

 

First, it's usually illegal to have a copy of your passport or ID. Yet most urban survial guides strongly reccomend keeping and where possible using copies in times of crisis because that orginal is your lifeblood.

 

The sex slave trade actually capatalizes on this by taking passports away from their slaves and using that as a means of control. No ID no way to get home. In the US thanks to our new outlook on the world, No proof of US Citizenship means the different between having certain rights and eventuall release and being held indefinatly.

 

The laws are intended to combat forgery, document theft etc. Not to prevent citizens from proving who they are, protecting their ID, and these days their credit records. I'd not think twice about using a copy for personal purposes.

 

As an aside. The other day I took my son in to get his Single Instruction Permit (which lets him take drivers ed but which isn't a Learners Permit...) and the Drivers Licence Bureau made a photo copy of my License...

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First, it's usually illegal to have a copy of your passport or ID.  Yet most urban survial guides strongly reccomend keeping and where possible using copies in times of crisis because that orginal is your lifeblood.

Aha! That woke up a braincell. As it happens, at 8:22 last night I was standing in the US Customs Service line disconsolately waiting my turn and reading my own passport to stave off the sheer eyeball-gouging boredom of...oh, anyway...this is on Page 6 under Tips for Travelers:

 

Make two photocopies of your passport identification page. Leave one copy at home. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen.

I suppose in the days of color copiers, a little Xerox doesn't seem so harmful any more. None of this is inspiring confidence in my driver's license plan, though :rolleyes:

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Auntie, why would you not want to carry your license, registration, credit cards, etc. on your person at all times? I carry all the stuff you mentioned, except the groat and the work ID, in my wallet, in my pocket. I keep folding money in a money clip in a different pocket.

 

By the way, that groat won't get you far in a taxi. :rolleyes:

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I don't know if the copy of the license is legal, but assuming it is not...

 

I served on a jury one time where the defendant was charged with hit and run. He had stopped and gave the other driver his address, etc., but did not have his license with him. The law in Washington reads that the driver must present his license. If not, he would be guilty of hit and run even if he had stopped to exchange information with the other driver. In this particular case we ruled not guilty because the city did not prove damage to the other car. Bottom line, carry the license.

 

As for myself I carry my wallet with me at all times when away from home. It has the normal ID items that others have mentioned. I do not carry my passport unless I will be out of the country.

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I'ver heard in Missouri that if you are ticketed for not having your DL, when you show-up for court and produce it, they'll let you off the hook. But what a hassle to have to go to court ... ick!

 

I think its that way most places. Beyond having to go to court, the problem is that if you are driving, they won't let you continue to drive without a license. You might also get your car towed.

That happened to me in Texas. They'll let you keep driving all you want, but you have to show up in court with the valid license to have the fine dismissed. Same goes for proof of insurance!

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First, it's usually illegal to have a copy of your passport or ID.  Yet most urban survial guides strongly reccomend keeping and where possible using copies in times of crisis because that orginal is your lifeblood.

I have scanned copies of all my important documents, from passports down to bank balances, portfolio info, car titles, etc. encrypted on a flash drive in my emergency bag. Some people call this a bug out bag. Each family member has their own bob, each with identical flash drives.

 

I don't carry that for caching though. I usually just have my drivers licence, credit card, my get out of jail free card, a few bucks and whatever change is in my pockets at the time.

 

As for not having your d/l with you, you are usually ok if you know the number or can prove your identity some way. The problem arises if you have to surrender it. Usually you will be allowed to mail it in if it's a minor offense, but I guess that call is going to made by the officer at the time of the offense.

Edited by cachew nut
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Auntie, why would you not want to carry your license, registration, credit cards, etc. on your person at all times?

Because I fall off of, slither down or trip over things, take unplanned swims, drop my junk, tear holes in bags, forget and leave stuff sitting on top of other stuff, get soaked, mysteriously catch fire, space out completely and otherwise labor under a serious burden of clumsiness and fluff-wittery.

 

It tickles me when people think I'm organized because I always empty my pockets into a certain bowl when I walk in my back door. It's the opposite. A lesson hard-learned from a lifetime of losing my junk. First rule of space-cadetery: develop compulsive habits that can substitute for alertness.

 

I thought it would be neat if I could make a little Xeroxed and laminated packet of ID, one credit card and a small wodge of cash and just leave them in the bottom of my bag forever instead of giving myself such frequent opportunities to do something heartbreakingly stupid.

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If you are operating a motor vehicle you are required to have your issued DL with you. In PA it could cost you $100 for failure to have your DL. In the field a copy is better than nothing. The coppers WILL check you through the system even if you have your ID so do not be surprised. Checks can be made without ID but do not provide false information or you will be taking a ride downtown with free transportation, room & board.

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I'm told you don't technically have to carry your license in the UK, as long as you do have a valid license

 

 

This isn't true for Ontario. There's a misconception that you have 24 to 48 hours to produce your licence and insurance to the police station. The truth is that it is illegal not to have the originals on your person when driving. The police have the discretion to ticket you on the spot, and at $108 each ticket it's expensive.

 

Ask me how I know. :rolleyes:

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Maybe off topic a little, but I just gotta say AuntieWeasel's posts are very entertaining! :rolleyes:

 

If you're not carrying your DL in Missouri, it all depends on what kind of mood the officer is in.... and if you can positively identify yourself.

 

Newbie Scott

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Driver's Licence, a second photo ID (from work) a couple of credit cards, health insurance cards and voter registration cards are my primary identification items in my wallet, along with sundry discount cards to the various stores I occasionally go to. Overseas, I usually carry my passport on me, rather than leave it in my luggage. My proof of insurance and registration to cars are kept in the respective car's glove box.

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I just take the whole shebang with me. On the I-90 corridor of western Washington, the two-legged rats are so common at trailheads that I own a trailhead beater car so I don't have to unpack my wagon to go hiking, then repair the locks or windows afterwards. :D

 

The gang that goes after credit cards will re-lock your doors if you left cards for them to scan, but will leave your trailhead mobile unlocked if it was empty. One nice Thursday they left my buddy's truck unlocked with my laptop on the back seat. If it's not a credit card, they're not interested. At least they don't break anything. :rolleyes::D

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I don't know about copying your drivers license but I know that making a copy of your passport or military ID (if it applies) is not illegal. However, making a color copy of those two documents is illegal. It could very well apply to the DL too.

 

There are certain types of businesses that often need copies of your ID. Such as mortgage brokers, passport offices, hospital. Just to name a few. When I renewed my passport, the passport office made a photocopy of my current valid passport to send in with my renewal application. The bank made a copy of my driver's license when I opened an account. The emergency room at a civilian hospital will photo copy my military ID when I have to go there because my military ID is also my proof of insurance.

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I haven't seen any police respond yet. When I was in the PD here in WA the drivers license was the property of the State. While driving you are required to present that license upon request. A photo copy wouldn't meet the definition of the presentation in the law. You can always verbally give your name and license number. However you are required to present the license.

This doesn't apply to non driving situations. However many municipalities require you to identify yourself in some verifiable way, or you could be detained(in jail) until you are identified.

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With the hazards of caching, like falling in the water, leaving your pack at the cache site, tripping over a tree root and losing something out of your pocket, etc., it is a very legitimate issue. I solved it by wearing cargo pants that have a zipper pocket and a velcro pocket, whenever I am doing a "hiking" cache. My wallet and car keys are safely zipped so they won't fall out. The velcro pocket holds my logging pen and anything else that's small but too important for a pack or a loose pocket.

 

Auntie, as a lawyer I will observe that local laws seem to vary on the subject of having ID with you when away from your vehicle, and on whether a photocopy is acceptable. You'll want to listen to knowledgeable advice from the state(s) you're concerned about, or do the research yourself. If you need detailed assistance, let me know. It looks like you already got a sensible answer for the UK, where weasels are spotted from time to time.

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One of the fraud tips I have read states that you SHOULD make copies of everything in your wallet so you have all the info for the police AND those pesky 800 numbers for reporting it lost or stolen to the remainig entites.

 

I have a small (kids'-sized almost) backpak that holds my wallet, cell phone, water, folding scissors, gloves and a few cereal bars, along with the small items for trade, a pen, a logbook (my own - I have a problem with short-term memory) and my digital camera. Usually one of the kids has the GPS...

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I take what seems to be everything I own when I go caching/hiking/riding/driving/grocery-getting/astronomizing/fishing/camping/working/movie watching/frisby throwing etc.

 

If I were to go into outerspace, on a long journey, to another star, never to return to earth and ATM's, ever, I mean seriously, ever... I would still carry my DL, Mil ID, credit/debit cards, proof of ins., State Trust land permit, 20 receipts from Best Buy for things I bought 3 years ago, and the S-bahn ticket that I never bothered to take out of my wallet since I was in Germany 2 years ago.

 

To ensure I don't lose these precious items, I choose the 'compulsive habits' method. My wallet is always in the right cargo pocket of my shorts if I'm out and about. Or, it's in my left-leg zipper pocket of my flight suit when I go to work or to fly. When I'm in bed, it's still in my shorts that I took off and threw on the floor. I tried putting it on a nightstand, but it was just easier to go get it from the last thing I was wearing.

 

I am constantly patting my right pocket to ensure it's there, even if I haven't had it out since the last time I checked.

 

I think my peranoia will save me from losing it. :rolleyes:

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Not sure what the laws are, but I doubt having a copy of a DL is illegal, unless it specifically says "DO NOT DUPLICATE" on the original, or your intent is to use it for false identification. Would a cop trust a copy? Of course not, but he'd call in and check to see whether you really had a lincense or not.

 

This exact thing happened to my wife and I when we ran out for ice cream a couple years ago. She drove, but left her purse at home (no license). The registration card in the car was expired, because we never got around to putting the new one in. One headlight was out, so we were pulled over. She was upset because she didn't have her license with her, but the cop was cool. He radioed in our plate number, found out everything was on the up & up then issued a written warning for us to get the headlight fixed. I was just laughing because of the comedy of errors in this little 2 mile drive from home.

 

I imagine we broke a few laws that night, but none that were serious enough for the police to worry about (except for the headlight). No harm no foul. Take a copy, take the original, consult a lawyer, whatever. Just be honest with law enforcement if you're questioned and you'll be fine.

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Auntie, why would you not want to carry your license, registration, credit cards, etc. on your person at all times?

Because I fall off of, slither down or trip over things, take unplanned swims, drop my junk, tear holes in bags, forget and leave stuff sitting on top of other stuff, get soaked, mysteriously catch fire, space out completely and otherwise labor under a serious burden of clumsiness and fluff-wittery. ...

I hear you. When I was a kid, and cashed my very first honest-to-goodness paycheck ($50), I walked across the street from the bank to buy something at the gas station, and left my wallet on the counter. I went back maybe ten minutes later, and the grinning clerk told me he "ain't found no wallet".

 

I was furious and heartbroken for days. Worst of all, I had to go home and tell my mother what happened. It was bad. My mother was a master of psych. warfare. While I was awake, I got the silent treatment, but as soon as I would go to sleep, she would start yelling. It was bad...but in nearly 40 years, I have never lost another wallet. Ooohh....it was bad.

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Is it legal to drive carrying a Xeroxed copy of my driver's license?

 

Could you just get a duplicate one one from the RI DMV for $25, rather than carrying a photocopy?

 

Sonoran Privateers...
I am constantly patting my right pocket to ensure it's there

briansnat...

Checking for my wallet every few minutes is a habit of mine

So is THAT why I see guys patting themselves down all the time? I always wondered... :rolleyes:

It's not just guys -- I do the same thing constantly. "Oh no, is my wallet still there?" when it's in a zipped pocket that no one has snuck up and unzipped while I wasn't looking. After about the twentieth time in as many minutes, I am generally asking myself "Don't they have medication for this sort of thing?"

 

I carry all the stuff you mentioned, except the groat and the work ID, in my wallet, in my pocket.

 

Well, where do you keep your groats, then??

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Auntie, why would you not want to carry your license, registration, credit cards, etc. on your person at all times?

Because I fall off of, slither down or trip over things, take unplanned swims, drop my junk, tear holes in bags, forget and leave stuff sitting on top of other stuff, get soaked, mysteriously catch fire, space out completely and otherwise labor under a serious burden of clumsiness and fluff-wittery. ...

I hear you. When I was a kid, and cashed my very first honest-to-goodness paycheck ($50), I walked across the street from the bank to buy something at the gas station, and left my wallet on the counter. I went back maybe ten minutes later, and the grinning clerk told me he "ain't found no wallet".

 

I was furious and heartbroken for days. Worst of all, I had to go home and tell my mother what happened. It was bad. My mother was a master of psych. warfare. While I was awake, I got the silent treatment, but as soon as I would go to sleep, she would start yelling. It was bad...but in nearly 40 years, I have never lost another wallet. Ooohh....it was bad.

Lost my wallet once. I was about 20 and at the Jersey Shore. Replaced everything then about 2 years later it shows up in the mail. Someone found it between the rocks on a jetty.

 

Which reminds me of another story. About 3 years ago they partially drained the lake where my family has a cabin, to do dam repairs. Walking about the muck I found a wallet in very poor condition. Most of the contents had disintigrated or were nearly unreadable, except for the drivers license (paper license too). I could easily read the name and address of the owner and the expiriation date was in 1972. So it had been down there for a pretty long time.

 

I meant to send it back to him, but my wife threw it away one day in a cleaning frenzy. It did smell pretty raunchy.

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Develop compulsive habits that can substitute for alertness.

 

Checking for my wallet every few minutes is a habit of mine.

I thought I was the only person to do that. :rolleyes:

 

When caching, I generally carry my wallet (which contains the standards (DL, insurance, credit/debit card, AAA, proof of insurance)) with me at all times. Cash is carried separate of the wallet.

 

When caching, the wallet goes into a zippered pocket. If I think I'm going to be caching where there is a good chance I'll get wet, etc., I'll take just cash, the DL and a credit card.

 

BTW - In Illinois, if you are in a motor vehicle accident (regardless of fault) or are stopped for a moving violation, you must present proof of insurance on the spot. There is no grace period.

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Warning - if you are pulled over in Battle Creek, MI, and cannot produce your valid DL (even if they can show you have one but have just left it at home, etc) you may very well end up visiting me at the County jail, and it will cost you $100 in bond to leave. No ops on person is the official charge. I think it might be a local ordinance, as we don't see the other agencies do it. As for the copy, couldn't tell you. Sorry

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Because I fall off of, slither down or trip over things, take unplanned swims, drop my junk, tear holes in bags, forget and leave stuff sitting on top of other stuff, get soaked, mysteriously catch fire, space out completely and otherwise labor under a serious burden of clumsiness and fluff-wittery.

mysteriously catch fire

 

I'd sure like to know the rest of that story, Spontaneous human combustion?

 

I carry my wallet, which contains DL, Ins info, credit cards, discount cards for 5 different stores, PADI certification, hunting/fishing lic, pictures of all descendants (3 kids, 8 grandkids) in hip pocket of jeans. Money in a clip in a front pocket, folding knife, and way too many keys.

 

This thread did remind me to clear all the restaurant and department store receipts out of my wallet before it explodes (anyone remember George Castanza and the free guitar lessons?)

 

I've carried this wallet so long I think it has created a permanent depression in the glutes so I don't even feel it when I sit. That also seems to keep it in place very well.

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So, here's my specific question: Is it legal to drive carrying a Xeroxed copy of my driver's license?

Over here, you have to have your driving licence with you while driving.

 

Here's my general question: what do you carry caching for ID and cards and cash and stuff?

Over here, it is legal to not have any ID with you; still - you have to prove who you are, which makes it necessary to carry some sort of ID with you (yeah, call it bureaucracy). ^_^:D

I usually have most of my cards plus driving licence and personal ID with me. No cash though, mostly.

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Warning - if you are pulled over in Battle Creek, MI, and cannot produce your valid DL (even if they can show you have one but have just left it at home, etc) you may very well end up visiting me at the County jail, and it will cost you $100 in bond to leave. No ops on person is the official charge. I think it might be a local ordinance, as we don't see the other agencies do it. As for the copy, couldn't tell you. Sorry

In the court case I mentioned above, the defendant was also charged with driving without his DL. That charge he pled guilty to and the sentence was to be worked out later. He had a vaiid DL and just left it at home. I think that is the law pretty generally, but different localities deal with it differently. Best advice is have the original DL with you whenever you get behind the wheel. It could be costly.

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In Indiana, you can get a non-drivers ID from the state at the same time you pick up your driver's license. I used to carry that with me when fishing, instead of my driver's license (along with my fishing license, of course)...but that meant that legally, only my husband could drive to and from the fishing spot.

You cannot own more than one copy of your driver's license at a time in Indiana (when you get the second copy, the original becomes invalid). I suppose that is to prevent you from loaning it to someone underage, but it would be great for disorganized people like me to be able to have "one to spare", as it were.

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It is not illegal to photocopy your driver's license. It is, however, illegal to drive without your driver's license.

I went in for my spiffy new digital license today. (Surprisingly, the whole encounter only took fifteen minutes! New Jersey is becoming efficient?) (I call it the Police State National ID Card.) There seemed to be some concern that the official copy of my birth certificate did not have the proper raised seal. (New York did not give out birth certificates when I was born, but rather 'Certificate of Birth Registration', which is not accepted.) Official determiner of raised seals accepted it. I was out within fifteen minutes. The irony here is, since I have absolutely proved who I am, and where I live, and they have accepted my identification, they would not accept my check without my phone number! They do not seem to have any confidence in the proof I offered?!?

Back to the point: Having some worries that my copy of my birth certificate might not be accepted, I researched getting a new one. To get one by mail, fax or Internet, proof of identity is required, including a photocopy of my digital driver's license. I seem to need the one to get the other. Hmm... Circular thinking.

Finallly finishing answering the question at hand: I carry my wallet with me at all times. I do carry a ziplock, in case it starts raining, which would not help me if I fall in a a river...

As I've posted elsewhere, I was once questioned by the police for 'hanging on a bridge'. My car was a half mile away, parked in a casino parking lost, we were looking for a benchmark on the bridge, and I misunderstood when he asked for ID. I thought he meant ID from the NGS for benchmarking. Oh, well. He didn't press it, but he was very sarcastic.

Lastly, I never carry my AA card. :D No one needs to know about that!

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I carry my Law Enforcement Credentials, amongst other things (D/L debit card, etc).

 

In all the places I have lived, you have to have the D/L with you while operating a motor vehicle. Not a copy, but the original and unexpired. Yes many places will let you produce the real thing to the magistrate or even a clerk and the charge will be dropped. This goes for registraion and insurance as well. But is it really worth the hassle to take the chance that Barney fife is gonna pull you over and go by his own law? As others stated, get a duplicate one. It will be cheaper to get than a ticket will cost you and you can usually do them online (duplicate).

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