I'm sure most of you have enough sense to not ride without insurance but I had a little thing happen yesterday that jarred me and thought I'd share just incase anyone ever thought about skipping the insurance that never gets used.

My bikes are insured with liability and the only reason I have any insurance on them is because I know I am likely to get stopped on a sportbike much more than a car.

The car is 14 years old and has maybe 5000 miles left in it before something quits. There are too many things that need replacement to justify the cost of repair. The engine light is on. The car needs to be inspected to have the registration updated. That all adds up to I've been driving it with 2015 registration tags for almost 3 years. Last couple times I got an insurance bill I considered not paying it. I'm extra careful driving it for obvious reasons and have never made a claim since I was 17 years old. At the end of last summer, I just decided to cut the insurance. I won't be driving this car for long anyway.

The expired registration was what got me pulled over. Insurance was next on the list. The car must be towed from where it sits. I get arrested. Yes, frisked, cuffed and off to the station for fingerprints and mugshots. I have court in two weeks. I hope the judge is somewhat sympathetic.

If you ever think about trying what I did, don't. If you're short on money, there's no reason you can't restart the coverage after a short lapse. If the car dies and you still have coverage, That can be applied to another vehicle. Whether your car is a piece of crap or a nice new car, the 'right to drive extortion fee' is the expense of operating it.

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bail fee, $22.

Now will have my mugshots online. I was dressed up nicely being I was coming home from work. Maybe I'll post a link if they came out well.

Fingerprints registered. Already had that as a public employee but not as a criminal.

Criminal record. Won't help much in the job search. It's a misdemeanor but why not interview someone without a record instead?

towing fee, $81.
Towed to a high school chum's car dealership. He said I could just let him keep it and forgo the storage and tow fee. Can't drive the car without repair inspection registration and insurance so it would be there a long time.

ticket for no current registration, $130.

ticket for no insurance, have to wait until Dec 21 to find out.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/9/2017 @ 8:22 AM *

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If you are found driving without insurance in Pennsylvania, your vehicle is impounded, license suspended for (3) months, and face a fine. It's not worth the risk.

* Last updated by: KoflaOlivieri on 12/9/2017 @ 12:06 PM *

Thanks Kofla. Yeah. I wish there was more public awareness on this. I would not have even tried. Definitely not with expired tags.

I have been walking much of the time since last summer anyway so having a suspended license is something I could endure. It's a small town so you DON'T drive with a suspended license around here. The criminal record part is what I hope to avoid.

I would have just puked right there if one of my bikes had to be towed.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/9/2017 @ 12:44 PM *

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Thanks Kofla. Yeah. I wish there was more public awareness on this. I would not have even tried. Definitely not with expired tags.

I have been walking much of the time since last summer anyway so having a suspended license is something I could endure. It's a small town so you DON'T drive with a suspended license around here. The criminal record part is what I hope to avoid.

Some people lose their jobs after losing their driver's license.

In the early 80's, rode my bike without insurance for about two years in New York. Took a cross-country trip from Brooklyn to Phoenix, AZ, then returned to Brooklyn a year later. I don't like to gamble, but this was a gamble I am not willing to take again.

God forbid an accident occurred in which I was at fault, I was likely to be sued personally for any damages or injuries, lose my home and any other assets of value.

Good luck with your court hearing.

Some people lose their jobs after losing their driver's license.

If 'losing license' means suspended as opposed to revoked permanently, that could well be the case and that would really suck. I'd be walking lots then.

so let's hope for expungement of the whole frickin deal and a hefty fine. It was two months without insurance.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/9/2017 @ 12:50 PM *

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If you are really bothered by the misdemeanor or it's a job issue you could try a ticket fixit lawyer. Last speeding ticket I got I was worried it was going to be upped to a misdemeanor because I was way over (in the middle of frickin nowhere)and I do have to tell work if I get a criminal charge. So I hired a ticket lawyer and they ended up getting the entire case dismissed. Wasn't cheap but it was less than the fines and insurance uppers which would come.

Seems like the old sure thing is now Death, Taxes and Insurance.

What a PIA, sorry my UP Brother. DO you need a license for the turbo snow machine?

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Wasn't cheap but it was less than the fines and insurance uppers which would come.

That's what I heard when I got my 110 mph ticket. The lawyer couldn't do a thing and he was a previous DA there. In a small community, the courts aren't busy enough for delay tactics. I paid the attorney and the ticket.

This time I think I'm going to present myself as a working poor dad trying to get to work and struggling to pay child support which I am. Having a lawyer almost nullifies that. Hopefully they'll go light on a person in need who made a stupid decision that caused no harm.

What a PIA, sorry my UP Brother. DO you need a license for the turbo snow machine?

When I get it someday, no I don't think you need anything but an ORV sticker and big cojones!

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/9/2017 @ 6:08 PM *

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Towed to a high school chum's car dealership. He said I could just let him keep it and forgo the storage and tow fee. Can't drive the car without repair inspection registration and insurance so it would be there a long time.

He's giving me an old Ford pickup with license plate and registration in exchange for my car. I'm sure the truck has more trouble free miles in it than my car which already needed a few major repairs.

I got insurance. Same premium as my car. Hope it doesn't go up.

ticket for no insurance, have to wait until Dec 21 to find out.

Actually, that was the date I had to pay the tickets by. Arraignment is in 45 minutes if I can get heard before the cons. Wish me luck.

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Good luck!

BTW, you may want to check with his insurance company if you're driving his truck to make sure you are actually covered in the event of an accident. My agent up here was saying there are some goofy rules regarding using someone else's insurance (ie, if I let you test drive my bike that I am trying to sell and you crash it, its my insurance that takes the hit)

Man your fees and fines are cheap out there. In Cali it would be almost 4 times that cost.
My son got a speeding ticket...$480.

Mad

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Thanks, Nightmare. My buddy was ok with letting me use the truck on his company insurance for a week but I have my own now so that will not be an issue to consider.

I guess court went ok. At least I learned a few things. This was NOT the hearing, it was arraignment which means you just enter your plea of GUILTY, NOT GUILTY or NO CONTEST. If most of what you know about court comes from watching old movies (like me), you might think the plea is made at the trial. Actually, if you plead guilty or no contest, there is no trial, you are just sentenced according to the law. I admit I'm guilty but I want a trial because I feel there are some circumstances worthy of considering when I'm sentenced. I pled NOT GUILTY. I did not ask for a court appointed lawyer because that does not mean that lawyer will be 100% free. You may be required to pay some or all of the attorney fees even if you felt you could not afford to do so when you requested the PD. Representing myself, I am allowed to contact the prosecutor myself and it seems likely I would be able to work out as good of a deal out of court as I would in court. Mainly, I'm hoping to not have this on my record and stay out of jail. $600 in fines and maybe some community service is the price of not making good on this calculated risk. I can live with that. At least this buys some time while my name stays out of the paper. LOL they actually report al that up here.. BIG news! Which one of your neighbors got busted for DUI, possesion of pot, and driving uninsured.

I also asked to have my bail amended since I need to leave Michigan to work in Wisconsin at times. alreafy violated that one time without even realizing it! oops.

I'll keep you updated.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/14/2017 @ 12:41 PM *

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Man your fees and fines are cheap out there. In Cali it would be almost 4 times that cost.
My son got a speeding ticket...$480.

I hope you're right mad. It's $200-500 for each charge so I might be eating a grand over this. Oh well, not like I haven't had to do that before. Last year it was the kids' medical expenses. I lived through that and I'm sure I will survive this. LOL can't get a lot worse.

I did once pay a $600 speeding ticket for 35+ mph over the limit.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/14/2017 @ 12:43 PM *

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My brother got busted for no insurance years ago (like 15-20), up here there isn't jail time, its just a stiff $2,500 fine, or at least it was back then. Also your car gets impounded, which usually costs about $150-200 for the towing, and another $200 for impound plus it was something like %50-75 per day that it sat on the yard with often a 3 day mandatory waiting period. So you end up walking out of the impound lot with a $500 bill plus the fine.

You definitely want to talk to the prosecutor, up here you can do that any time up until the court date. Be cautious and polite, they don't want to bother with going to trial as usually the courts are busy and it costs them money to do that. If you're not happy with what they are offering I would be inclined to politely tell them that you appreciate their offer but you feel that it would be in your best interest to consult with a lawyer in this matter.

The prosecutor called me back today a couple times but I was not able to get back to him until he left for the day. That's a good sign. Seems like he wants to talk. I'll keep trying.

If you're not happy with what they are offering I would be inclined to politely tell them that you appreciate their offer but you feel that it would be in your best interest to consult with a lawyer in this matter.

I may speak to a lawyer about it but have no plans to do so presently. I know a lawyer will cost more money and just be helpless. I admitted to the charge and was caught red handed.

I hope the prosecutor has some interest in not going to trial. I thought it might be the opposite--he gets paid for being in court. I'm sure they would hit me for court costs.

This is set to be a jury trial which makes little sense to me since I don't plan to try to persuade anyone that I did not do what I was charged with. Maybe he would turn it into a simple judge hearing. If he's not willing to expunge the criminal record, I'll go to court. I think I would stand a decent chance of persuading a jury I'm worthy of that under the financial circumstances I've been living in. Of course, 9/10 of the people who get caught doing this do it because of finances and I'm sure they do not all escape the record. I'm a little different though. Anyone in my place would deserve one break on this if they pay the fines which will not be an easy thing to do.

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I spoke with the prosecutor today and it looks hopeful that he will turn this into an ordinary driving offense for me since I do not have a previous criminal record. I told him I would like to avoid the most severe penalty for this which is the criminal record. That would probably interfere with my current job and definitely with future jobs. I have to provide the prosecutor with evidence of current insurance and vehicle registration. I'll be picking up the truck tomorrow and it's all set. I have the insurance now.

I'm not counting my chickens before they're hatched but it looks like I will just have some fines. I do not even care if it effects my insurance. I really can't have that record or I'm screwed.

It's depressing but I am sure I will be riding slow when summer comes. All the gofast equipment on the bike and no way to use it. Maybe I can do an LSR event. I can't take risks like I have been anymore.

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"I can't take risks like I have been anymore"...I know that feeling.Seems like otherwise,it's gonna work out okay for ya...He's sure gone outta his way to contact ya.That's pretty amazing actually.Hope the best for ya Daron;)

All the gofast equipment on the bike and no way to use it. Maybe I can do an LSR event. I can't take risks like I have been anymore.

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You can sign up for track days to get your adrenaline pumping.

Yeah. It's not cheap either but it's nice to go as fast you can without worrying about getting in trouble.

The bike is set up more for drag racing or LSR but the bottles come off easy enough. I'd like to get another bike for road racing. I guess we'll see if that's possible.

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WOW Rook! Sorry you have to go through this. I hope it goes well or went as well as possible for ya. They are so much more lenient in Ohio I guess. I had that happen to me a couple years ago. I just let it lapse. Got pulled over for speeding. I couldn't remember if I was covered so I just told the cop I had it but didn't have my card. He said just mail in proof with the ticket. He dropped the speeding ticket (30something in a 25). Gave me a seatbelt ticket which was at least $100. I get home and realize I'm not covered so I get on the phone and get covered. All that happened to me was I had to pay an extra $250 fine I think for not having insurance. I even forgot to tell the cop I had my gun in the car initially. Then I told him I had it when he came back with the ticket. He didn't care. I'm no lawyer, but I would be surprised if this effected a job search. If I remember right, there is a section on the application where they ask you about any arrests and give you a chance to explain before they do a background check. I would say honesty is the best policy. I would say lying about it if asked would keep you from getting hired more-so than the actual record. I've been on and been involved in quite a few interviews in corp America in my day. I think employers are looking for things like DUI's n drug related offenses. Showing honesty and taking responsibility would be something I would look for in a potential employee. Obviously theft or more serious things would be an issue. Hope this goes well for you!

Thanks, j. I believe this will be ok after all is done. Might just be a little expensive. I'll have to wait to see after providing proof of insurance and registration. I still don't have my new vehicle so I have no way to prove I have the registration or that I even own the new vehicle. I did get the insurance though.

I'm no lawyer, but I would be surprised if this effected a job search. If I remember right, there is a section on the application where they ask you about any arrests and give you a chance to explain before they do a background check.

It might not be too big a deal for some fields but employers are probably extra strict in education. I don't even want to have to make an employer read why I was arrested and now have mugshots online where young students can google my criminal record. By contract, you have to go before the school board if you get arrested for any reason. I doubt they would fire you over this if you were doing a good job but probably, it's a good reason to not hire someone.

I would say honesty is the best policy. I would say lying about it if asked would keep you from getting hired more-so than the actual record.

I definitely agree on that. Lying on a job application is always grounds for dismissal and it could your undoing years after you were hired if someone initially turned a blind eye to it (funny how honesty doesn't always work both ways).

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Its just funny how laws can differ so much from state to state. This almost sounds like a political flavor of the day thing. If a different governor gets elected or something like that changes it could all be different for the same offense.

In Montana, liability insurance is not required for motorcycles. Although I have liability insurance, I can't help but wonder what would happen if I didn't and was pulled over in a state that requires it.

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Heya BerndV...whas up my man?Just watching a ride vid...there was this badazz red 14R in it looks just like yer avatar there....

Hey grn, just skiing and waiting for winter to end.

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