What Are The Penalties For Driving With No Car Insurance?

1. Driving ban

In some developing countries, it is allowed to drive without insurance since all you need is a valid driver license. However, most developed countries do not allow their citizens to drive cars without having coverage from car insurance companies. As a matter of fact, driving without insurance can be considered a serious offense. The most common consequence is penalty points on driving records, fine and driving ban.

2. Problems with expired insurance

There is no excuse for driving without insurance. You cannot even blame the insurance company for failing to notify you about any expired policy. When the vehicle is in use while you don’t have valid insurance policy that covers you and the car, the offense basically has been committed on the road. Your insurance company has no obligation to notify about policy expiration. You cannot involve the insurer in your circumstances. In this case, you will still be convicted, but there is probably mitigation. Your insurance company will play its parts by electronically notifying the DMV anytime your insurance is cancelled, reinstated, or you get new coverage, but not about policy expiration.

3. Comprehensive coverage

As mentioned earlier, insurance policies are sold in packages. It means the car, driver, and owner should always be covered by any policy required by the law. The driver and the owner can be two different people, such as when you are borrowing your friend’s car. Despite the fact that the car has comprehensive coverage, you are still not allowed to drive it unless you are insured. If you are caught in such situation, you are considered committing an offense. Additionally, your friend is guilty too for allowing an uninsured driver to use the car.

Comprehensive coverage is for the car, not for the person who is driving it; there are some other different policies for driver such as medical payment and liability. Comprehensive covers any damage to the vehicle as long as it is not caused by accidents. Cheap auto insurance quotes do not usually include this coverage because it is actually optional.

4. No insurance violation

When you are pulled over due to any reason, and you cannot show proof of insurance, the police officer may issue ticket for no insurance violation. It only happens if you are actually insured, but you cannot show your insurance card. The ticket can be possibly dismissed if you can produce the insurance card to the police department within the time period informed in the ticket.

5. SR-22 requirements

There are many online websites providing free-of-charge car insurance calculator to help you find the most affordable insurance policies for your circumstances. It means there are very few reasons for not being insured. In case you drive without insurance and cause an accident, you will have to meet SR-22 requirements which basically oblige you to have at least minimum insurance liability in your state. You don’t have to wait until this happens to get insured. An SR-22 document should be kept for usually 3 years even when you move to another state.

6. Car is impounded

Purchasing a car means having it insured as well; otherwise the car will be illegal to drive. If the car is not insured at all, it can be impounded. The police are entitled to do so and charge you for driving it on the road. You don’t have to use the best auto insurance companies to avoid this. There are many insurers running their businesses in almost any state, so it should be easy for you to choose one that is suitable for your budget and conditions.

7. Multiple offenses

You receive a ticket for driving without insurance and you are summonsed to court. Once again, there is a time period until you can produce proof of insurance to the police department. If you fail to do so within the time period and you are caught again, the police can issue the same ticket. When the time period is up, you basically commit further offense.

Driver license and vehicle registration suspension:
Those are the most common penalties for driving without insurance. In addition to all requirements, you still have to pay fines in order to get your driver license and vehicle registration back, not to mention the traffic ticket fine. Instead of paying hefty fines, you can use the money for purchasing car insurance policies. If you are confused when choosing the most suitable insurer to use, simply use online car insurance estimator and find one that’s suitable for your circumstances in terms of coverage as well as price.

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