Maintaining independent transportation is relatively expensive. Buying or leasing a vehicle may require hundreds of dollars in payments each month. Motorists also have to pay for state-issued driver’s licenses and vehicle registration. They typically need to carry liability insurance to register vehicles for operation on public roads.
Insurance can cost hundreds of dollars a month depending on a driver’s history and other factors, such as their age and sex. Some people intentionally cancel their insurance policies after registering their vehicles. Others unintentionally let their policies lapse because they forget to make a payment or cannot pay due to a drop in income. People may get caught driving without insurance if they cause crashes or get pulled over for a minor traffic offense. The consequences of driving without insurance can have a major financial impact.
What are the possible penalties?
New York law allows for multiple serious penalties if a driver does not have insurance coverage. Police officers use their discretion to decide whether to arrest a driver or simply issue a citation. In either case, the motorist could face costly penalties for driving without active insurance coverage. The state can also impound the vehicle driven without insurance. As if that weren’t frustrating enough, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can revoke the driver’s license and the registration for the vehicle.
The situation determines how long the revocation lasts. If the uninsured driver caused a crash, they could lose their license and vehicle registration for at least a year. The motorist accused of uninsured driver may need to pay a fine of up to $1,500. There is also a $750 civil penalty due to the DMV when restoring a revoked license. In cases where people cause crashes without insurance, they may also be at risk of personal injury lawsuits.
Those accused of driving without insurance may have a valid defense available to them. Perhaps they borrowed a vehicle and did not realize that the owner had allowed the policy to lapse. Maybe they thought they had issued a payment, but there was a processing delay. Reviewing – with the help of a skilled legal team – insurance records and the documentation from the police officer who issued the citation or arrested the driver can help those hoping to fight allegations of driving without insurance.
Subscribe To This Blog's Feed