It’s common for people to test drive cars when looking for something new. However, prospective buyers don’t expect the police to pull them over for a traffic stop during the process. This happened recently in Texas, and the dealership responded after the customer got a ticket for not having a license plate on the car. Apparently, this has been an ongoing problem with dealerships in the area.

This man experienced a traffic stop while test-driving a new car

Test-driving a vehicle before buying it is among the best ways to determine if it’s right for you. However, according to WFAA, Daniel Rocha visited a car dealership in Prosper, Texas, with the intention of buying a vehicle. Specifically, he wanted a pickup truck and ended up test-driving one. However, the police pulled him over for a traffic stop while he was on the highway. 

The traffic stop surprised Daniel because he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. The police officer informed Daniel that the encounter was due to the lack of a car license plate. Naturally, he told the police officer about the circumstances but still got a citation for driving without plates. 

During the traffic stop, the police officer also said this has been a problem with local car dealers. Daniel recalled the police saying, “This has been ongoing with these dealers. He said in order for us to make [the dealerships] abide, we’re going to start citing the customers.”

The Prosper Police Department released a statement saying, “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.”

The dealership also responded

Longo Toyota of Prosper released the following statement after the traffic stop: “Safety is a top priority at Longo Toyota of Prosper, and we are dedicated to providing a secure environment for everyone. Our community is very important to us, and we have been active supporters since we opened nearly eight years ago. 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.”

Daniel has stated that the dealership initially changed the truck’s price to account for the citation. The dealership denies this and has offered to pay for the ticket.