No Insurance Traffic Ticket

Every individual in the State of Washington, when driving on a roadway, must be validly insured. There are many policy and society reasons for this. It is the responsible and legal thing to do. If you are caught driving without insurance, you are going to receive a ticket for $550 – which can be close to the price of having gotten insurance in the first place! If you get into an accident without insurance, it can result in your license being suspended until the damages have been paid.

Officers are going to almost always ask for proof of insurance when they contact you during a traffic stop. If you cannot provide proof of the insurance, then you will get the ticket. You can show proof by either a written document like an insurance card or you can show it by way of an electronic device, like with your smart phone or portable computer.

Often, people forget to print their most recent insurance card and put it in the car. If you had valid insurance at the time of the stop but you simply did not have the proof, you can show that to a judge and the ticket will be dismissed with only a $25 administrative fee required.

If it turns out your insurance had lapsed, it would be a good idea to get insurance as soon as possible. Even though you were driving illegally at the time of the stop, many judges will reduce the fine amount after seeing you have fixed the problem (presuming this has not been a reoccurring issue for you.)

Remember, do not loan your car to other individuals if the car or the person is not insured. If that other person gets into an accident with your car, you could also be found liable for the accident and could get your license suspended. Additionally, if you are borrowing someone’s car, you have a responsibility to make sure the vehicle you are driving has insurance.

Our Olympia criminal lawyers serve all of Thurston County. Call now for help and real answers.