by MVP » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:38 pm
I was stopped for driving wthout headlights and also got ticketed for having no insurance and the catch is it wasn't my car. So my question is now that i have to appear in court do i have to get insurance for a car that wasn't mine or is there any way around this.
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 01:17 pm Post Subject:
Dude! You are driving an uninsured vehicle without headlamps? I'm sure your mama has already ask the 'what were you thinking' question, so I'll attempt to refrain... :wink:
You don't say what state you are in....But do you have insurance on another vehicle, (one of your own)? If so that insurance MAY transfer, but I think only for collision and comp, if that's the case, that will do you no good...But check with your states dept of insurance anyway...
As to the other, 'do you need to insure it', I'm not sure about this, but would think it depends on the state you live in, and their statue, some states require drivers to have insurance, not just the vehicle...Better check...What about the owner? Why wouldn't they get the coverage for you before you go to court? Did you know it was uninsured? Clearly you HAD to know it had no working headlamps.......
:roll:
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 02:10 pm Post Subject:
I'm not sure what state you are in, but the real big question is: Do YOU have insurance?? If thats the case, then you should be ok. For the liability portion of it. If you dont have your own insurance and you drive other cars on a regular basis, it may be a good idea to buy yourself a non-owners policy. Once again, i'm not sure what state you are in, and everystate has their own way of dealing with this. Oh and one more thing, stay out of cars with no headlights! Thats an accident waiting to happen.
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 05:24 pm Post Subject: No insurance thanks everyone
Im in Memphis, Tennessee and i had the low beams on i was in a fire bird were the high beams lift up out the hood but if i go to court without insurance will they give me a grace period or what will happen
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 02:01 am Post Subject:
MOST OF THE TIME IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INSURANCE YOU WILL BE FINED AND GET YOUR LICENSE SUSPENDED. THEN HAVE YOU TO SHOW PROOF OF INSURANCE TO GET YOUR LICENSED BACK. GOOD LUCK!
THANKS!
AGENT CLINT :wink:
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 05:05 am Post Subject:
Your still not completly clear about having insurance but I'm guessing from your statement about going to court with no insurance and asking about a grace period that the vehicle did not have insurance on it and you don't have any insurance.
A grace period for what? To get insurance? Not the right frame of mind when standing in front of a traffic judge. When you were operating the vehicle you needed to have insurance... now your wondering if they will allow you to get it even after you show in court several days later? If the judge has a book on his bench, duck.
Here is my recommendation if you want the best outcome...
GET INSURANCE ON THE CAR BEFORE YOU GO TO COURT!
Dress nice. No jeans, hat (!), sunglasses, wear a dress shirt. When you go in front of the judge don't make excuses. He/she has heard them all and does not really care.
If you show the judge that your the type of person to corect their wrongs, by getting insurance, he/she is much more likely to cut you a break.
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 05:50 pm Post Subject:
Ok...two things...
First of all, you said that it wasn't your car and that you were cited for having no insurance:
was stopped for driving wthout headlights and also got ticketed for having no insurance and the catch is it wasn't my car.
The obvious question to me would be: Does the OWNER of the car have valid insurance? If so, there is the possibility (pretty likely, depending on the carrier) that under the terms of "permissive use," as long as you had permission to drive the car (and a valid license), you would be covered under the owner's insurance policy. There's a lot more than meets the eye with this permissive use doctrine, so don't assume anything here.
As well, if you have your own car insurance, there is the chance that your coverage would apply if there is no other valid insurance on the car your were driving. Depends on a number of other issues, but the possibility is there.
Finally, your state does have pretty severe uninsured driving penalties, and I have learned that the police are required (as of 2002) to check for insurance for all drivers involved in an accident or cited for a driving infraction, and are required to write citations for those who cannot prove they are insured at the time of the accident or ticket. The law also recognizes that people occassionally do not have actual proof with them at the time of the wreck, so the law provides that if you can prove you were insured at the time of the incident at the time you appear in court, they will drop the uninsured driving ticket.
Check out the Tennessee department of motor vehicles website for more details...it's a decent site and should give you some info.
Good luck, and stay away from old cars with lame headlights!
InsTeacher 8)
Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 08:58 am Post Subject:
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