First Speeding Ticket, with a twist!

[Jotaru]

So, I'm always joking around with my friends how I never get pulled over.. and as much as they say it jinxes me, I always seem to elude the inevitable. However, its finally become time... six years after starting driving, I got a 59 in a 40. Boo urns. Oh well, pay the price, I didn't argue it, I'll show up to court in the hopes the cop doesn't, do the driving school... etc.

Also had expired registration (how the f did that happen? -.-) ... he gave me a warning for this, which is good. I'll get that taken care of np.

The real kicker is that the most up-to-date insurance card I had on me expired May 23 (June 15th as of this posting..)... I've been covered by this company for months (years? Don't recall, my parents handled it for me and I just paid the bill as it came), have paid the bill on time, etc. However, its not so simple as just saying I didn't get an up-to-date card..

I kinda paid like three months in advance, and come May 23rd, I guess I owed like $23 more. I kinda forgot about it, figured I'd get it taken care of, etcetc, not worrying about it.. but now I'm worried. Obviously the best (only?) answer is to call my insurance company, but they're closed now and I'm freaking so figured I'd ask around here to see what might happen. Will my insurance have kept me on, and I just owe them money, in which case I'm good to go? Cop said they'll throw ticket out if I show proof I was covered today (I live in IL, where insurance is mandatory). What I'm worried about though is perhaps since I hadn't paid my $23 or whatever my insurance dropped me? How often does this happen? Anyone had experience with this before?

And the most grim of all questions- if they considered me dropped til I pay (which, even if I pay tomorrow, won't help me for TODAY)... what then? I'll be considered driving without insurance, yea? Not sure what the penalty is for that..

So yeah, got my first one in a real big way. Anyone a bit more experienced in this sort of thing have any insight into what I'm looking at? Mandatory Court Date is mid July, so I'll be ripping my fingernails off waiting more than a month to find out what happens. I don't want to go to jail BG!

[SephYuyX]

Dunno bout getting the insurance back, etc, but as long as you do have some sort of insurance at the time of the court date / fee paying, it's np. Happened to me once with an expired card too. Youre probably still covered, but just didnt get a new card.

[Jotaru]

That's what I'm hoping, but I've never had this happen before, I've always paid on time / early and gotten a new card when I did. I imagine they'd want to keep me on so keep me insured and just keep billing me (til it got ridiculous) rather than up and drop me for being $23 overdue for less than a month... but if its the latter, I'm looking at up to three months without a license. Yikes.

[Cephius]

The penalty for driving without insurance is usually just a fine, it's only really bad if you get in an accident and they conclude you intentionally drove without insurance. So don't worry, you're not going to jail

That said, as long as you can produce some evidence you're insured now, or were insured at the time, you should be fine. They shouldn't be looking to screw you over, just making sure you're covered.

[Blarg]

I guess the twist was ok but I would have liked to have a bit more character development beforehand

[Jotaru]

PM me, I'll give you some character development

Cephius > Just kinda nervous because (After reading a bit) the penalty for driving without a license is a three month suspension of the license. Bah. Its a waiting game.

[Cephius]

PM me, I'll give you some character development

Cephius > Just kinda nervous because (After reading a bit) the penalty for driving without a license is a three month suspension of the license. Bah. Its a waiting game.

Again, they would only give that severe a penalty if you were negligent in obtaining insurance or if you got in an accident. If you come to court with paperwork showing that you do (and did) have insurance, I bet they don't even do anything to you.

[Koul]

I highly doubt they'd suspend your license for real. It can happen but... chances are it won't. Just do what Cephius said.

and with driving school, you can do that online(might depend where you live). They say they don't suggest that because you can end up failing and haveta retake everything but I did it that way... skimmed through everything, took the test and 100% passed in like... 1 1/2. I didn't have the time to go into the classroom though because I was moving outta state. The class will be about as much as the ticket (~200$ for me)

I definitely wouldn't stress about max penalties though.

[Mayareira]

Severe penalty only in repeated offenses or in case of an accident (depends on the state, but yeah that's the general rule).

Dress up well at court. I'm always the ONLY one that shows up in suit (doesn't have to be suit, just not in a torn t-shirt and other junk) in traffic courts and it always adds something. I've got all my tickets dismissed so far (5 year of driving in the US, and I don't drive that nice ;p), including one I got for no insurance. I just got insurance AFTER I got the ticket and was able to get the ticket dismissed (normally it is a 500$ fine for first time, jail for repeated offenses)

And yeah, you won't go into jail unless you walk into court with a couple of revolvers.

[Jotaru]

My parents are doomsayers, they raised all of us thinking that if you run a red light, even with no cops around, you do a few weeks jailtime.

I guess part of it sunk in.

You all help ease my mind!

[Mayareira]

Like I said, you'll have to walk in with a shotgun on your back to get into jail for minor stuff like this. Wouldn't even worry unless it is a repeated offense with serious negligence, or DUI.

Be nice (dress, your honor, etc.), and you'll have it dismissed. No fine or whatever.

Jails are overflowing with dumb fucks already they don't need you there.

[jmc]

Ya.... you will be fine.

Just prove you currently have insurance, and still did at the time of the ticket.

If your insurance company dropped out, they would have sent you a cancellation notice and you really can't miss them. Always scared the shit out of me when I got them lol

[Xaeon]

Your going to jail. Go buy some soap on a rope your gonna need it.

[Fodder]

If you do go to jail, lmk where and I'll come visit you Hoetaru.

[Jotaru]

Dude you don't even visit me when I'm OUT of jail.

Cmon Fodboss.

[Sylvrdragon]

In my town, the prosecutor tends to let minor stuff go if it really was just an honest oversight that didn't cause any harm. I got a ticket for expired tags and he told me to come back in a week with renewed registration and they'd throw it out, which they did. The Insurance thing would likely be the same since no harm was done even if you technically didn't have insurance at the time (which I doubt is the case anyway). Just get everything sorted out before you go back to court and don't be a jackass and you should be fine.

[Dmitry]

I got pulled over 3 years ago and didn't have an up to date insurance card in my car at the time. Even though the cop was a huge asshole, all I did was get the up to date card and took it to the police barracks and showed someone who was working there at the time and nothing came of it.

[Bikpik]

I'm not sure how it is in the States, but in Canada, this wouldn't even see the inside of the courtroom. the Crown Attorney(prosecutor for you yanks) would handle this without the judge, and probably just give you a slap on the wrist (Minimum fine).

Also, most insurance companies won't drop you after 1 missed payment, unless you make it a habit of missing a lot of them, if you have automatic withdrawl, they usually just double up on the next one.