It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle without proper insurance in the State of Florida, as with the rest of the united states. If you are found to be driving without insurance, you will be facing the suspension of your license and potentially some other penalties. If your driver’s license is revoked, your daily life will become much more difficult. Furthermore, your earning potential will go down significantly as you will not be able to commute to work.
Any car accident you are in whilst not possessing the correct insurance will be very costly. You will be liable for the other party’s medical bills, property damage, loss of earnings, and much more. Attempting to find an insurance company to cover you after an accident will be very difficult, especially if somebody was hurt or killed.
Following being accused of driving with no motor insurance, you must call a Clearwater criminal defense attorney. They will help you navigate the charges bought against you and do their utmost to get your license reinstated. Call The Law Place today and book a free consultation with one of our attorneys. We will review the facts of your case together to decide the best way to proceed. All of our meetings are protected by attorney-client privilege, so you need not worry about divulging potentially incrimination information.
Call us today at (941) 444-4444. Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day.
Insurance Requirements in Clearwater, FL.
Anybody operating a motor vehicle on the roads in Florida is subject to their ‘no-fault’ laws. This means that in accordance with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), you are required to possess at least $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage and a minimum of $10,000 of property liability insurance. Failure to meet these specifications will result in you being charged for driving with no motor vehicle insurance.
That being said, the State of Florida does not require you to possess any bodily injury insurance coverage. In some cases, extenuating circumstances require you to get this insurance, for example, if you have been charged with a DUI or you have been involved in a serious car accident in the past. Florida Statute 324.023 states that you are required, by law, to have a minimum coverage of $10,000 bodily injury insurance for every person injured in the auto accident and $20,000 for each accident you have been involved in. This bodily injury insurance should also cover permanent injury and wrongful death.
You must also remember, you will be required to take out a new insurance policy when planning to drive in Florida if you are from out of state. You will not be covered to drive on Florida’s roads with your old insurance policy. Many insurance companies offer nationwide coverage, but you must still contact them before entering the state to see if you can transfer that insurance to a Florida company. If you cannot do this, you must take out a new insurance policy with a company that has a Florida address and a license for sale in Florida.
If you are caught driving, in Clearwater, FL., with an out-of-state insurance policy, a judge is very unlikely to accept that you were not aware that you required a new policy. In the State of Florida, as with the rest of the USA, ignorance is not a plea and will not be useable as a defense in a court of law. You have a duty as a driver to educate yourself about the driving laws in the state you plan to drive in.
If you have been caught driving with no insurance in Clearwater, FL., then call The Law Place today and book a free consultation.
What if Your Insurance Policy Has Expired?
If your insurance policy has expired and you have failed to renew it before the policy ends, the FHSMV reserves the right to suspend your license for a period not exceeding 3 years. You are required to provide proof of a new insurance policy that began before your old policy expired to counteract this. Failure to do this will result in you being treated as an uninsured driver.
If you are struggling to understand this information, please call a Clearwater accident attorney today. They will help you to comprehend what is required of you to get your license reinstated. In Clearwater, those who have had their license revoked due to a lack of motor vehicle insurance will not be eligible for a temporary license.
What Are the Charges for Driving With No Motor Vehicle Insurance in Clearwater, FL?
If you have been caught driving without the proper insurance coverage in Clearwater, FL., you could be facing some harsh penalties. They can have a serious impact on your quality of life if you do not address them in a timely manner. Below are the penalties you can expect if you a caught driving without insurance in Florida:
- First offense – Your license will be suspended for a period not exceeding 3 years. It will cost you $150 to get your license reinstated and take out a new insurance policy.
- Second offense – Your license will be suspended for a period not exceeding 3 years. If your second offense is within 3 years of the first, you will be charged a $250 reinstatement fee.
- Third or subsequent offenses – Again, your license will be suspended for a period not exceeding 3 years. If your offenses are within 3 years of one another, you will be charged a reinstatement fee of $500.
The penalties associated with driving without insurance are quite steep, and without the help of a Clearwater criminal defense attorney, you could face the full extent of them. Book a free consultation today and find out what The Law Place can do for you.
What if You Are Involved in a Clearwater Car Accident With No Insurance?
The first thing you should do if you are involved in a Clearwater car accident is to contact a Clearwater car accident lawyer. They will be able to give you the best advice you can get. Car accidents when one party has no insurance can be very expensive due to Florida’s ‘no-fault’ laws.
These ‘no-fault’ laws require both parties to go through the other insured party’s insurance company. In some cases, the insured party has uninsured motorist coverage. This can save you from some devasting financial costs. These insurance policies are designed to protect insured drivers from those who are not insured in the event of a car accident. They will cover all damages, including medical bills, personal injury, pain and suffering, and lost wages. If you are unsure how to proceed with your claim, speak to a personal injury lawyer at The Law Place today and schedule a free case evaluation.
If your no motor insurance accident has caused serious personal injury or wrongful death, things become much more serious. By Florida law, you will be required to produce an SR22 certificate; this requires you to get extra coverage. Only insurance companies can give these certificates out, and if you are driving with no insurance, you may find it very hard to get one. This certificate must contain very expensive bodily harm insurance. You may find it very difficult to find an insurance company willing to offer you this coverage after your accident.
If you have been hit by an uninsured driver in Clearwater, then please contact one of our accident attorneys today. They will advise you on the best steps to take to recover some of the costs.
Contact a Lawyer at The Law Place Today!
Have you been caught driving with no motor insurance in Clearwater? Get in contact with The Law Place today. Every lawyer at our law firm has a wealth of experience that covers a wide range of practice areas.
Our attorneys have over 75 years of combined experience, and by working together, we make sure that you benefit from every second of it. Do not waste time. Contact our law firm today and see what a criminal defense lawyer can do for you. Book a free consultation with one of our attorneys today and get the ball rolling on your case. We will do our best to defend you from the penalties you are facing.
Call us today at (941) 444-4444.