Driving Without License or Insurance: More Serious Than You Think

Driving with a license or without insurance can be a serious offense, with serious fines and other penalties possible up to and including loss of your vehicle, a record, raised insurance rates, and even incarceration.

If you are charged with either one, Juzkiw Law Firm can help. We will get your charges dismissed if possible and work to minimize the penalties as much as possible if you choose to plead guilty.

Driving Without A License

A number of factors may cause your license to be suspended, temporarily or permanently. They include speeding, stunt driving, failing to pay a fine, getting too many demerit points, refusing to take a breathalyzer test even failing to pay child support payments.

You may never have had a license in the first place, or it may have expired, or you may be on a graduated license without a fully licensed other driver in the car.

Whatever your situation, if you are convicted of driving without a license, you could face a number of potential consequences. They include your vehicle being impounded for at least 45 days, costs of towing and impounding, a heavy fine ($1,000-$5,000 for a first offense), and raised insurance rates.

If you are in an accident without a license, your insurance company may refuse to pay the claim.

If your suspension is due to a criminal offense, the penalty could be even higher, ranging from a $5,000-25,000 fine for a first offense and prison up to five years.

Driving Without Insurance

There are all sorts of reasons why you might not have insurance. You may simply not have your insurance on you at the time of your stop, in which case many Ontario police officers will give you time to bring it to the nearest police station.

Driving if your insurance has expired is serious. You may have simply forgotten to pay it, or may have been unable to pay and been suspended for lack of funds, but driving without it exposes you to a number of heavy penalties, including:

• Being responsible for all repairs and medical bills in the event of an accident
• Increased insurance rates when you do apply again
• Ticket and a heavy fine
• Demerit points

Why Not Just Defend Yourself?

If you are charged, you may want to explain yourself. It could seem perfectly reasonable to you to explain that you didn’t realize your license was expired, or that you didn’t have the money to pay your insurance premiums.

It could also be one of the costliest mistakes you will ever make as costly as driving without a license or insurance in the first place.

We know that there are valid defenses, but that you have to put them the right way. You have to know which reasons are valid by law and which will simply be dismissed by the court.

We will:

• Ask you about your driving record
• Examine disclosure, including the officer’s notes
• Look at the circumstances in your life that may have led to driving without a license or insurance
• Look at your current circumstances in terms of your ability to pay

We will find a way to keep you from losing your money, your car, your ability to drive, and possibly your freedom, or minimize the damage as much as possible.

This is too important to be left to chance.

Contact Juzkiw Law Firm Today

Talk to us right away in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding areas if you have been charged with driving without a license or insurance. We have an experienced Defence Lawyer. Call us at 416-221-2221 or fill out our online form. We offer free consultations and quotes and will file any tickets for you free of charge.