Got a ticket for driving with no insurance...what to expect?

[DB123]

You talked to the ticket guy, what did he say could be the outcome?

"Ticket guys" work in one of two ways. 1) through various connections and understandings, the officer does not show up at trial or 2) they have no connections, understanding (or luck) and end up resolving in the way you could yourself. Their fees have nothing to do with the service the provide, but rather with the amount of the potential fine.

That said, I got a ticket going 147 on the 401 and x-copper got it dismissed (see way #1). Judge me for speeding or not, I couldn't care less.

OP, if you don't go ticket guy (actually, either way) you need insurance now or your chances of anything less than getting a rough ride up the ass is slim whatever you decide to do. Sorry, but true

 

[SchlongConery]

He actually didn't have insurance. He was driving around with no protection for others on the road. Remember that your insurance protects the other driver from you.

Wrong fuji.

Under Ontario's no-fault auto insurance, your insurance covers you , and his covers him. If there are very serious injuries, then the injured party can bring a lawsuit against the
party who caused the injury. Then he may be liable for the other party's damages.

 

[DB123]

Wrong fuji.

Under Ontario's no-fault auto insurance, your insurance covers you , and his covers him. If there are very serious injuries, then the injured party can bring a lawsuit against the
party who caused the injury. Then he may be liable for the other party's damages.

Even then, it is more common that your insurer will sue the non-insured party to recover their expense and there is no effect on you.

 

[oldjones]

Unfortunately, that is nonsense. The lack of insurance is purely a financial risk, because here in Ontario the other party's insurance company will pay for their damages, so it makes absolutely no difference to the party you hit (assuming it is your fault) whether you have insurance or not.

Those of you who are condemning him are wrong in the sense that what he is doing is merely a financial risk to himself.

It would be even worse if he'd made a similar calculation to prove the only downside to such negligence would be financial. Sorry but he's a stupid selfish unthinking irresponsible asshole, for all that your insurer rubbed their hands with glee at the prospect of an easy settlement with the not-for-profit pool that reimburses for such claims. And who do you think picks up that shared tab? And why would anyone believe he was any better at living up to his driving obligations, which are far more dangerous troubles than the financial? He did get caught. For both.

I'm just curious, and it isn't any of my business, but the uninsured guy who creamed my car was the only accident I've had and the only claim I've ever made which likely accounts for some of my ire. I'm intriqued what comparisons went into your, "I know because I was hit by just such a driver, and I have never had an easier insurance claim." Would you still feel that way accepting the quick payout for your dead child?

 

[SchlongConery]

Driving without insurance is a very serious charge with serious long term financial implications.

You WILL go into the Facility insurance pool and pay at least $6,000 per year for the next 3-5 years. If you were paying $2k now, that will cost you an extra $12-$20k over that time period provided you do not get any more tickets, accidents or claims.

So, here is my advice.

1. If you haven't already done so, bring your insurance up to date or BEG them to take you back!!!! But somehow you need to get insurance NOW!

2. Do not mention the No Insurance ticket because it is not a conviction and does not mean anything to your insurance company until a conviction is registered.

3. INVEST in hiring a REAL trial lawyer. Not Pointts, not a paralegal. Criminal trial lawyers are starving right now and are advertising on craigslist. You can probably get a good one for $2-$3k right through to trial.

The criminal trial lawyer can play all the games with disclosure etc against some rookie traffic court Crown prosecutor and very likely win. He can play games with adjournments etc to hope the cop doesn't show and to delay a conviction also.

Again, this is NOT the time to be cheap. You WILL pay an extra $12-20k for auto insurance through the nose if you are convicted. Don't chance it with Pointts assholes who ONLY know how to plea bargain. Paralegals may know the framework but are seldom seasoned cross examiners or have the gravitas of a Barrister in front of the bench to demand a dismissal of charges on a technicality.

A JP is far less likely to ignore law and be swayed by the FACT that you were driving without insurance when a real lawyer makes the motion than ex-copper or some paralegal.

 

[nottyboi]

I would go see the prosecutor, kiss his ass, ask him to plead to a deal of failure to provide proof of insurance. BTW you better have valid insurance to show him. Tell him you thought it was up to date and were shocked when you realized you forgot to pay it. If you get convicted of it, it is a total MOFO, so deflect, try and get it to a minor charge and if you succeed thank your lucky stars.

 

[SchlongConery]

I would go see the prosecutor, kiss his ass, ask him to plead to a deal of failure to provide proof of insurance. BTW you better have valid insurance to show him. Tell him you were going through some rough times and just dropped the ball and it will not happen again.

Don't do ^this^.

The fine is the least of his worries. ANY conviction relating to insurance is an excuse for the insurers to kick him into Facility for >$6k per year!

Fight for NO conviction. You CANNOT do this by yourself and the consequences are real and tangible. Far more expensive than a lawyer.

 

[Promo]

What a jerk.
What the hell do you expect him to come out here and ask?
He is in a situation, he's seen the error of his ways, and he's trying to figure out how to minimize the impact of a bad decision.

Exactly.

This seems appropriate --> "let him who is without sin cast the first stone"
Considering this is Terb --> "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
Who hasn't done something foolish or risky in their lives? In gspotlover's case, assuming we have the whole truth, he felt he had no choice. When you are in survival mode: Shelter, food, security. I also had financial challenges early in my career, so I get it.

gspotlover, It sounds like you've already had a consultation with a Lawyer. What was the advice? I agree with Schlong completely. Even if it costs you $2K to represent you in court (I have no idea what it would cost), the Lawyer may be able to reduce your fine enough and pay for themselves or even save you money. Please keep in mind, it's not just the immediate fine you need to worry about, it's the cost of insurance going forward and the Lawyer may be able to suggest a strategy to avoid future costs. I wish I could be of more help.

Nice to see people step-up and offer good advice. It's interesting that the people that crapped on him the most are also the most frequent posters here on Terb.

 

[nottyboi]

Don't do ^this^.

The fine is the least of his worries. ANY conviction relating to insurance is an excuse for the insurers to kick him into Facility for >$6k per year!

Fight for NO conviction. You CANNOT do this by yourself and the consequences are real and tangible. Far more expensive than a lawyer.

failure to provide proof of insurance will not get you kicked to facility. Driving without insurance WILL.

 

[SchlongConery]

failure to provide proof of insurance will not get you kicked to facility. Driving without insurance WILL.

Ok here is the rationale nottyboi.

1. Failing to provide proof of insurance WILL raise the issue.

2. During the application process, he will disclose the ticket (or they will discover it on his abstract) and then they will refer to his insurance history and see that he was driving without insurance.

But if you think licking the ass of the Crown is going to do anything except save him a few hundred dollars... than he can take your off the cuff advice and ignore mine.

 

[FTWWTF]

Get insurance now before you go to court. Also get drivers abstract before the ticket shows up on the report. Then got court and throw yourself at judges mercy.

 

[bishop]

You have to pay up and get a good lawyer, this will haunt your driving record for a long time and your premiums will be insane, any help a lawyer can be to your case will pay for itself in the long term.

I was caught driving with a suspended license, it was a few years ago when not paying traffic tickets would end up in a suspended license, I never received notice that my license was suspended. I immediately paid my traffic tickets and got my license renewed, then I hired a paralegal to represent me, in the end it got bargained down to failure to show license and a $200 fine. The strange thing is that according to my driving records that entire incident was gone, even the final charge of failure to show license was not there. As far as the insurance company knows, I have a perfect driving record for the past 5-6 years.

My incident is different than the OPs, but I just wanted to give him my story of a good outcome when it came to traffic law.

 

[TheDr]

Lawyer up, not a paralegal, a lawyer who specializes in this sort of case. Its not about getting off the charge, its damage limitation.
Insurance companies rate tickets in 3 categories - minor, major and criminal. They don't care what the ticket was for, just if and how many of each category you have. This charge is in the Criminal group.

Being caught driving without insurance is pretty much a cut and dried conviction, the only way to get off is prove that there was a valid insurance policy in place that covered the vehicle you were driving at the time. If you get the charge dismissed or lowered for any other reason I wouldn't bother playing the Lotto again, that sort of luck won't strike twice.

You are going to pay through the nose for insurance, but over time it will go down. The conviction only stays on your record for 3 years. Work with an Insurance Broker, for the first policy term you will almost definitely be rated as a Facility risk, but after that a good broker may be able to get you in with another high risk provider such as Kingsway.

Or price up a bus pass and don't drive for 3 years. When the conviction is off your abstract you can get insured in the mid market fairly easily, just explain the lapse in insurance as you didn't have a car hence no need for insurance.

 

[punter]

When you got a ticket for driving with no insurance, why did the cop pull you over?

 

[destillat]

It would be even worse if he'd made a similar calculation to prove the only downside to such negligence would be financial. Sorry but he's a stupid selfish unthinking irresponsible asshole, for all that your insurer rubbed their hands with glee at the prospect of an easy settlement with the not-for-profit pool that reimburses for such claims. And who do you think picks up that shared tab? And why would anyone believe he was any better at living up to his driving obligations, which are far more dangerous troubles than the financial? He did get caught. For both.

I'm just curious, and it isn't any of my business, but the uninsured guy who creamed my car was the only accident I've had and the only claim I've ever made which likely accounts for some of my ire. I'm intriqued what comparisons went into your, "I know because I was hit by just such a driver, and I have never had an easier insurance claim." Would you still feel that way accepting the quick payout for your dead child?

Him having insurance or not having insurance would have no effect on the accident happening or not happening, or a victim dying or not dying... the sole net effect of driving without insurance is financial to the offender (with the probable criminal penalties as well).

 

[bigshot]

I don't want to pretend to be an expert, but my understanding is that the insurance company cannot discontinue coverage until 30 days after the policy expires. They can give you notice until the end of that 30 day period. I believe that this is in place to allow for a poor guy (who may have been out of town or is bad at bookkeeping) to continue coverage while he is in the process of catching up on his premium. It's basic consumer protection legislation.

I suspect that the OP was more than just a couple of weeks behind. As others have said, if you're in this position, buy a bus pass...

 

[PornAddict]

Sell your car .. Used the money from the sale of your car to pay the court fine and your lawyer and then go buy a bus pass and used the TTC for the next three year. Hard Lessons learn and after three year later hopefully your money situation improves and go buy another car and start driving again. Life goes on .. It not the end of the world if you dont drive for three year. Convictions stay on your record for 3 year only.

 

[Ceiling Cat]

Non judgmental answer :

You are guilty and there is no way around it. Your best bet is to mitigate the circumstances. Take your case to a lawyer who specializes in traffic offenses and try to bargain down the offense. It is what you will have to pay in the long run that will cost you big.

 

[SchlongConery]

Non judgmental answer :

You are guilty.

Ironic Post of the Day!

 

[Titalian]

What if he hit someone just walking along the street ???