Penalties for Driving without Insurance in New York

People who are driving in the state of New York, operating a motor vehicle, without insurance are committing a criminal offense. New York has a law called the New York Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law, which requires drivers to carry a liability insurance policy in order to drive legally in the state. Driving without the required amount of insurance can result in hefty penalties that cannot only be expensive but can also limit people’s ability to drive in the state.

Not being able to drive here can limit people’s ability to get to work, school, or to visit friends and family. To prevent suspension of your driver’s license or having to pay hefty fines, the smart plan is to make sure that you have adequate auto insurance coverage. Auto insurance plans also protect you financially if an accident occurs that damages other people’s property or other people themselves. Learning what the minimum requirements for car insurance in New York are is the first step to making sure that you are compliant with the laws in the state.

New York Insurance Requirements

The New York Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law requires that drivers in the state of New York have an active car insurance liability policy that has minimum limits of 25/50/10. A minimum limit is the lowest amount of insurance coverage a person can have to drive legally in the state. A 25/50/10 insurance policy states how much insurance a person must have in three specific categories in order to drive legally.

It means that a minimum of $25,000 in personal liability insurance must be included in a person’s car insurance policy. This coverage amount covers the injuries that one person sustains in a car crash. The state also requires $50,000 in personal liability insurance to cover injuries that two or more people sustain in an accident. New York also requires that drivers have $10,000 minimum in property damage liability coverage, which covers the cost of damage to property should an accident occur.

Another requirement that New York has in terms of automobile insurance coverage is a requirement that drivers are able to provide proof of insurance if they are pulled over or in an accident. Drivers who are involved in a car crash and cannot provide proof of insurance, or do not have any insurance coverage at all, can face hefty penalties. Even if you are not driving your vehicle, or it is in storage, you are required to carry liability coverage by law if your car is registered in the State of New York.

Penalties For Driving Without Insurance

Driving without automobile insurance can be extremely expensive, and this is outside of the fact that auto accidents can be extremely costly to pay for without insurance coverage. There are many ways that people can be caught without insurance in the state, and the fines can be quite significant for people who commit this violation. If these fines are not paid promptly, more serious consequences could arise, up to and including jail time.

It is also possible for a person’s vehicle to be impounded and/or their license and registration be revoked by the New York DMV. In order to reissue your driver’s license and registration, you may be required to pay up to $750 in fees to the DMV in New York. People who let their insurance coverage lapse for a period of time longer than three months may result in them no longer being able to reinstate their driver’s license and registration. In these cases, drivers may need to wait until their suspension ends before having their license and registration reinstated.

First Time Offense

Fines for people who are caught driving without insurance, or people who let someone else operate their vehicle while it is not insured, can range from $150-$1,500. Drivers can also face up to 15 days in jail, have their vehicle impounded, or have their license and registration revoked. The reinstatement fee for a person’s driver’s license and registration can be up to $750, which needs to be paid to the New York DMV. There are also penalties for letting your insurance lapse, which start at eight dollars per day for the first 30 days and goes up in cost from there until the 91st day. At the 91st day, drivers can choose to surrender their registration, as well as their plates, until their suspension period ends.

Additional Offenses

The costs for additional violations increase from there, with the total cost in fees, fines, and penalties adding up to a lot more money than a car insurance policy would be in total. Also, it can be difficult for people to get to work, school, and to visit friends and family if their driver’s license is revoked, and they are unable to drive.

Penalties For Driving Without Insurance In An Accident

First off, being involved in an accident without car insurance is extremely expensive without all of the additional penalties that can be incurred by driving without an automobile insurance plan. Your license and registration can be revoked, and if you are driving without insurance, the minimum driver’s license suspension that will be issued is one year. In addition, drivers have to pay a $750 civil penalty and up to $1,500 in additional fines to have their driver’s license reinstated. This is on top of liability that you have to pay for damages of property or injuries to other people that occur in the accident.

Final Notes

Driving in New York State without insurance is a serious offense that can come with serious consequences. Make sure that you have the minimum limits for automobile insurance coverage in the state, or more, to avoid these consequences. Using this website, you can find the best prices for car insurance and compare auto insurance policies. Driving without insurance in New York can end up having a huge negative impact on your finances and your life. Take the time to find an automobile insurance policy that suits your needs the best using the tools on the site. It’s a smart plan.