Citation for unregistered Vehicle

[adupatel]

Hi, I am new to this forum so I didn't exactly know where to post this query....well my question was, recently me and my friend were coming back to college from outside and she was tired so i decided to drive her car....in less than 5 mins, a officer pulled me over and asked for registration and told me that this car is not registered...which shocked the car owner (my friend) and me....he cited me a ticket to appear in court on dec 2nd and my query is that my friend got it check and apparently there was a misunderstanding between the dealer and her sister and my friends tag got switched to her sister's new car....she got it fixed and her car is now registered, but my question is what do i take to court to prove that I or her had no idea about this....how much will i be fined? and what should i do? this is my first time ever getting pulled over....no tickets in past, clean record, should i hire a lawyer?....the citation copy says it is a FL Statue 320.01 A for UNREGISTERED VEHICLE!!!! any help will be greatly appreciated


thanks

[mobrien316]

You can go to court if you like and tell the judge your story, but the bottom line is you were driving an unregistered motor vehicle.

In Connecticut that is only an infraction (I think it is $78) and it is not that big of a deal. I assume it is much the same in Florida. Getting an attorney to defend yourself from an infraction that you were absolutely guilty of is ridiculous, in my opinion. Any attorney is going to charge far more than the cost of an infraction ticket.

[mcsap]

Decide if it is worth your while to even fight it. In PA , that would not cause any points and wouldn't even show on your driving record. i can't speak for Florida.

Insurance companies don't get all crazy over an expired plate ticket. Drive 30 over the limit and you have their attention.

If you think it is worth your while , take ALL of your supporting documents along with the owner of the car and give it a shot. It could very well work out for you IF the mistake was as you said and not the fault of the registered owner.

[adupatel]

i don't have a option to pay a fine....if i did i would have, the citation says there is no fine just appear in court on Dec 2nd...so i am hoping..the judge will understand my situation and give me a break.....thanks everyone for your help.

[maz]

Hi, I am new to this forum so I didn't exactly know where to post this query....well my question was, recently me and my friend were coming back to college from outside and she was tired so i decided to drive her car....in less than 5 mins, a officer pulled me over and asked for registration and told me that this car is not registered...which shocked the car owner (my friend) and me....he cited me a ticket to appear in court on dec 2nd and my query is that my friend got it check and apparently there was a misunderstanding between the dealer and her sister and my friends tag got switched to her sister's new car....she got it fixed and her car is now registered, but my question is what do i take to court to prove that I or her had no idea about this....how much will i be fined? and what should i do? this is my first time ever getting pulled over....no tickets in past, clean record, should i hire a lawyer?....the citation copy says it is a FL Statue 320.01 A for UNREGISTERED VEHICLE!!!! any help will be greatly appreciated


thanks

Yes in the state of Florida that is a Criminal Misdemeanor. Most officers release on a court date as in your case. In this state, you were operating a vehicle with a tag attached to the vehicle to which is was not assigned (Florida Statute 320.261 attached tag not assigned) also a criminal misdemeanor. Due to the fact that the tag was transferred to another vehicle, the tag is no longer assigned to said vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle is now unregistered which is also a criminal misdemeanor (Florida State Statute 320.02(1)). Luckily, you were only charged with one of these and not both or brought to jail. The fact that it was a mistake does not dismiss the charge or the crime that was committed. The operator of a vehicle, whether the owner or not, is responsible for the vehicle that it is properly registered with the state.

As far as proving that you had no knowledge is up to you. Knowledge is not required for these crimes since it is supposed to be your responsibility as the operator of the vehicle. Of course you can always tell the judge the reason why the crime was occured and he may withold ajudication or find you not guilty. As far as hiring a lawyer is also personal preference. All has to do with your knowledge of the laws and if you feel you can defend yourself or need legal representation. Bottom line, its not the end of the world and not the crime of the century. Gather paperwork from the dealer that hopefully shows its an error on the fault of the dealer and good luck.

[adupatel]

thanks for your help....it would really help to know how much trouble i will get into because of this....is it a fine or jail?....i am really nervous, i mean we have all the paperwork to show that the car is now registered, the old car registration, the toyota and the sold car registration....we have all the paperwork we could get....I just want to know how much in trouble i can get....i don't mind paying the fines, i agree unknowingly it was my fault, but i am just scared of jail time :( any ans asap will be reallly appreciated

thank you.

[Samuel]

How good are you at breaking rocks in the hot sun?

[Joeyd6]

Nobody is going to jail for an unregistered car. No worries. But do bring the checkbook!