Hello everyone,

I have a friend whos' just been caught driving without insurance and she got a $5,000 fee. We are looking into what are the options right now.

Is there any point in going to court? I don't know all details but it seems she was just about to sell her car and the insurance company didn't want to renew for less than 1 year so she took the risk of driving without insurance for a little while.

She doesn't have the money to pay at the moment. Can she pay over a longer period of time or even.. someone suggested.. declare bankruptcy?? I believe that's not without consequences though...

Please advise if anyone got into this trouble..

Thx!!

Serves your friend right. Pay up or go to jail I think are the options.

wow, thanks for your kind reply...

If your friend had crashed into a family (or anyone for that matter) and caused permanent disability or death, how would that family or that person manage the rest of their lives without an insurance payout? Driving without insurance is a serious crime for a reason.

well i know that.. it seems she didn't. And anyways my duty at this time is not to judge her but to try and help her.

thx anyways

If your friend has yet to go to court, she needs to look at the diversionary justice routes in her province as she could get jail time if she no ability to pay. The fine will stand, that has to be paid off on a payment plan agreed with the court. Diversionary justice involves community service and the like. SHe may qualify for Legal Aid. I hope your friend is not in BC.

Hi

I somehow doubt the fine is $5K for only driving w/o insurance. You can ask the court for time to pay. By the way the fine in BC is $598

I missed that, I read $500 on the OP. Need more coffee.

She is in Ontario and from what I found out through my search it seems that the fee is anywhere from $5K to $20K. It seems that $5K is just when they caught you without any other infraction. They just towed her car in front of her house.

For reference, here is one of the link with fines info...

http://www.roadwarriors.ca/traffic-t.../services.html

If I remember rightly it takes something like 15 years for your record to be cleared of bankruptcy in BC. I could be wrong though - a friend told me that.

Sounds like your friend might need to get a second job!