Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hello. I recently got a truck from my dad and I've been driving it for a while. I'm a safe driver and everything but he called me today and said to watch that it doesn't have insurance. It was his daily work truck until he got his new one and until I go get insurance I obviously don't have any.

Anyway. I live in West Virginia and it has Ohio plates. (I'll be moving to Ohio in about a month) So if a WV cop runs my plates will they see that I don't have insurance? Also if they pull me over for some reason, what will happen? Considering the truck is still in his name and everything. I will be getting insurance once I move to Ohio. Before he ever told me that it dididn't have insurance I got pulled over a while back for tail lights being out from a blown fuse when I was putting a new stereo in and the only asked for my license and told me to use caution lights on the way home. Any and all information would be nice.

If you drive a car with no insurance, you risk a traffic/criminal charge with a big fine.

Stop driving the truck until it is insured.

If I don't give a cop PC to pull me over can he tell if I have insurance by just running my plates? I know in Ohio you don't even need insurance to register your vehicle or anything like that. Maybe I should've put this in Ohio's section.

That's definitely state specific but my understanding was Ohio does require you to have insurance. We have a few guys on here from there, maybe one will be shortly to answer.

In PA your plate will get suspended if you drop insurance or it lapses. The vehicle will likely be towed and the fine is 300 plus costs and a 90 day license suspension. I cut NO breaks on that. If you hit someone and they get injured and only have liability they are likely on their own unless they can successfully sue for medical bills/damage.

Maybe I'm missing something as I'm not a LEO. Are you independently wealthy? If your truck completely by accident (i.e. tire failure, brake failure, blind spot, etc) destroys another car or injures someone can you pay for it? Insurance laws are for safe drivers (that's why their rates are cheaper) and crappy drivers.

Secondly, if you don't do anything wrong and the other person is uninsured, guess what happens when he totals your dad's truck? "Sorry dad, he didn't have insurance and neither did I so you are SOL."

Not to mention failure to register in the state you reside in.

I would nail you for failure to register in the state you reside and no insurance. For "No insurance" its jail time. I don't know of any LEOs that ever cut any breaks on insurance. It could be me or my family you hit. While I have full coverage as IMO should any "responsible hard working american" I would rather folks like you obey the law and be a responsible driver by having insurance so MY rates don't go up.

Not to mention you come to a LE site, admitting you are breaking several laws and have the attitude of "what can happen" and "can I get away with it".

Move to Florida, here your license is automatically suspended for not having insurance, your tag gets a "sieze" order then we impound your car until you have legal plates and insurance and license and in the meantime you pay thousands in fines and go to jail!

Well thank you fine gentlemen for stating what could happen to me but I still do wonder if you guys can check my plates to see if I have insurance to begin with.

To answer some of your questions I do reside in Ohio (with a friend) and WV (my own place) but right now I'm working a small job managing servers and don't have the extra cash. In about a month I'll have a full time job and will get insurance over in Ohio. Here in WV I'll never pass inspection with the body work and what I've done to the exhaust. My car recently broke down. I'll have insurance within a month but until then I'll have to pay the consequences if I get caught. Just wondering if I have to worry about being pulled over at all if I don't give a reason to pull me over.

I think you missed it. The purpose of insurance isn't to avoid being pulled over and given a citation. The purpose is you car can easily cause damage that you can't afford to pay.

I'm sure it varies by state, but I hope when you turn in your WV plates for Ohio plates they check that you have been insured the entire time your car is registeredd. There is no reason the DMV can't require proof of insurance during the entire time your car is registered and assess the penalty as a condition of registration. In AZ, the insurance company sends a lapse notice to DMV. If the fine is the only thing that bothers you, let's hope Ohio chbgtes that mindset and makes it more sexpensive not to have insurance.

Full Disclosure P.S. I was rear ended by a drunk driver who had a minor in the car. He was a young service member who presented false insurance card to rental car company. the DUI with minor is a felony so he was arrested. The rental car company only had minimum coverage by law. It was my insurance that fixed the car and paid the bills and then subrogated that to the rental company. I realize that you consider the truck your livelihood but if you accidentally take someone else' livelihood wht are you going to do? Hope they were more responsible than you?

I think you missed it. The purpose of insurance isn't to avoid being pulled over and given a citation. The purpose is you car can easily cause damage that you can't afford to pay.

I'm sure it varies by state, but I hope when you turn in your WV plates for Ohio plates they check that you have been insured the entire time your car is registeredd. There is no reason the DMV can't require proof of insurance during the entire time your car is registered and assess the penalty as a condition of registration. In AZ, the insurance company sends a lapse notice to DMV. If the fine is the only thing that bothers you, let's hope Ohio chbgtes that mindset and makes it more sexpensive not to have insurance.

Full Disclosure P.S. I was rear ended by a drunk driver who had a minor in the car. He was a young service member who presented false insurance card to rental car company. the DUI with minor is a felony so he was arrested. The rental car company only had minimum coverage by law. It was my insurance that fixed the car and paid the bills and then subrogated that to the rental company. I realize that you consider the truck your livelihood but if you accidentally take someone else' livelihood wht are you going to do? Hope they were more responsible than you?

I understand all of this and only commute to work with it though I never did have WV plates on it since my father or I have owned it. It's just a month is all I'm wondering. Btw fake insurance card eh? Haha just kidding.

In a month it will be legal. Guess my father never had insurance on it the 7 years he used it. I'll be okay for one month. Thank you everyone.

I am still amazed someone can actually drive around for seven years with no insurance. It amazes me that a FATHER would do that. Well, ok I am not really amazed but still...

Ill just give you one more word of advice/caution. This is not meant to sound as if we are all just "looking for a reason" to stop someone but you need to realize if a LEO wants to stop you we can always find a violation. Illegal exhaust, window tint, bumper height, headlight/tail light out, no signal, stopping past the line etc,etc.

I hope you do get insurance ASAP because eventually you will get stopped (you already did but lucked out) or you will be involved in an accident that might not even be your fault. You could be driving along doing no wrong and someone hits you. Guess what even if your not at fault you will be slammed for no insurance.

Well thank you fine gentlemen for stating what could happen to me but I still do wonder if you guys can check my plates to see if I have insurance to begin with.


No one answered because no one that has posted so far works in Ohio...

So you want us to tell you if you can continue to break the law and have a slim chance of getting caught ?

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrre.

It's just a month, it's just weed, it's just a little heroin... same vein. So you are willing to risk imprisonment, high fines, a suspended license and the inability to get insurance that won't cost you half your annual salary? SR22 comes to mind... hey it's your life, do what you want.