How Much Is a Ticket for No Insurance in California?
If you’re wondering “How much is a ticket for no insurance in California?”, driving without insurance is illegal in California and comes with some stiff penalties. Whether your insurance lapsed or you knowingly drove without insurance, a ticket will be issued to you in the event that you’re pulled over while driving. Along with the standard fees that come with this ticket, there are a range of additional penalties that you could be charged with, which you should be aware of before you drive without insurance in California.
Possible Fees of Driving Without Insurance in California
Before you focus on the possible fees of driving without insurance in California, it’s important to understand that auto insurance is designed to make sure that you have financial responsibility in the event of an accident. In the state of California, other forms of financial responsibility that are accepted instead of auto insurance include a surety bond that amounts to $35,000, a proof of cash deposit with the DMV that amounts to $35,000, and a self-insurance certificate that has been issued by the DMV. If you don’t want to be ticketed for not having insurance in California, you will need to have at least one of these in your vehicle at all times.
If you get pulled over by a police officer and receive a ticket for driving without insurance, this ticket can cost a significant amount of money to pay. If the ticket that you receive for driving without insurance is your first offense, the minimum fine that you will be required to pay is around $100. However, extra penalty assessments and fees are typically added to the ticket, which means that you will likely need to pay around $400-$500.
In the event that you are fully convicted for your first offense of driving without insurance, an additional offense within three years from the time of the conviction can come with ticket fees of $200-$500. The extra penalty assessments and fees scale with tickets of a higher amount. If the ticket you receive is for $200, you will likely end up paying a little more than $900 with all other fees. However, a ticket of $500 can lead to you eventually being required to pay as much as $2,500. If you want to avoid these fees, it’s important that you obtain car insurance immediately.
Additional Problems That Could Occur
Along with the fines that you will need to pay when you receive a ticket for driving without insurance, there are also a range of additional penalties that you could face. For instance, it’s possible that your vehicle could be impounded by the police. When a vehicle is impounded, it is placed in a tow yard or lot until you obtain insurance. If you don’t get auto insurance within a certain period of time, the vehicle could eventually be recycled or stripped for parts, which means that you would need to pay a large amount of money just to get another vehicle.
In the event that you are driving a vehicle without insurance and end up causing an accident, it’s possible that you would need to pay civil penalties, which can arise if another individual involved in the accident files a civil lawsuit against you. These civil penalties usually amount to you needing to pay for any medical bills as well as any property damage, which could be thousands upon thousands of dollars. If you cause an accident when you’re driving without insurance, it’s possible that the DMV will suspend your license for as much as four years. Your vehicle registration could also be suspended.
Keep in mind that California uses a point system with traffic tickets and violations. If you are convicted for driving without insurance, either 1-2 points will be placed on your license. If more than two points are added to your license in a certain period of time, it’s possible that your license will be suspended, which can occur even if you didn’t cause an accident.
Why You Should Have Insurance
The main reason that you should have auto insurance is because it’s illegal to drive without insurance in California. While you may be able to pay the base fees that occur when you’re ticketed for this offense, the fees can become astronomically high if you cause an accident and end up being sued by the other driver. While auto insurance can be costly, it’s essential if you want to drive your own vehicle to get around in California.
When you decide to purchase auto insurance, it’s important that you have the right amount of insurance when operating a vehicle in California. The state has set some minimum insurance requirements that every driver must follow. Whether you are purchasing a new car or have recently received a ticket and need to purchase insurance, you must have comprehensive car insurance. The minimum requirements for insurance in California include property damage protection of $5,000, a total of $30,000 for the injury or death of at least two people, and a total of $15,000 for the injury or death of a single person.
What to Do When You Receive a Ticket
When you receive a ticket for driving without insurance in California, you can either decide the pay the ticket in full and accept the consequences or choose to fight the ticket for a chance at getting rid of the penalties in question. Likely the best way to fight a traffic ticket is via the TicketBust traffic ticket dismissal service. When you use this service, all you need to do is answer some questions about your ticket and pay the related fees. Once you’ve inserted this information, you’ll be provided with a Trial By Written Declaration that you can present to the court in order to fight your ticket.
This declaration has a high chance of succeeding, which comes with several notable benefits. A successful declaration means that points won’t be placed on your driving record, you won’t need to actually step into a courtroom, and any bail payment will be refunded completely. The fees for this service are just $199 for tickets related to driving without insurance, which is much less than you would need to pay for your first offense. Now that you know about the benefits of using the TicketBust website to fight your ticket, you can get started on the process today.