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Oregon DMV once suspended my license without notifying me. This was due to having 2 speeding tickets in a 3 year timeframe. I found out my license had been suspended when I was pulled over for running a yellow light when I could have stopped. Officer said my car legally had to be towed, and that another licensed driver was not permitted to drive it home. He cited me for driving without a valid license (although I presented what I thought was a valid license at the time). This was a Friday night.
The impound is not "open" on the weekend, although they impound cars all weekend long. By Monday morning, my bill to get the car back was $500 (in 2003). You get billed $200/day for every day the car is parked in the outdoor gravel pit, including the days they are "closed" and you cannot retrieve the vehicle.
Appearing before the judge to explain why I was driving with an invalid license, he threw out the case saying DMV needed to notify me. I asked what can be done about the $500 tow fee, and he said the best I could do is present the dismissal of my infraction to them and see if they would waive their "services" or give me a reduced rate. Essentially, what's done is done.
So what would have cost me $80 to reinstate my license had I been notified, turned into a $500 impound fee. Crazy that the state is in bed with the impound crooks.
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