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What is the Penalty for Driving Without a License?
The penalty for driving without a license varies, depending on a person's location. Different countries, states, and provinces enforce their own penalties for drivers who operate vehicles without their licenses, but traffic tickets and fines are probable for the majority of offenders in almost all areas of the world. The amount of a fine for driving without a license can vary, depending on how many times a person has been caught doing so. First-time offenders typically get smaller fines, while multiple offenders might have to pay larger amounts. A rise in an insurance premium is another possible penalty.
Another thing that may affect the penalty for driving without a license are the circumstances behind the lack of a license. There are many people who drive away without their licenses because they simply forgot them at home, and these people can usually prove that they do in fact have licenses by providing certain information. People who don't have their licenses on them because they forgot them usually get either warnings or traffic tickets. Fines are not as common for first-time offenders, but they aren't unheard of either.
People who drive when they don't actually have licenses at all may be subject to more serious penalties. Traffic tickets and large fines are very common for people who drive when they have never been issued driver's licenses. It is also a serious offense when people drive on licenses that have been suspended or revoked. In some areas, people can be arrested for driving when they have never been issued licenses and also when their licenses have been suspended or revoked for various reasons. Some areas penalize people with up to six months of jail time for driving when they don't have driver's licenses issued to them or if their existing licenses have been taken away from them.
Another penalty is related to insurance premiums. Driving without a license is typically an offense that goes on a person's record, particularly if a traffic ticket was issued. People who only received warnings for driving with no license probably do not have to worry about it going on their records. When any type of traffic offense goes on a person's record, that person's insurance company will normally be notified. As a result, a person can usually expect her insurance premium to rise at least slightly.
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![Paying a fine is a common penalty for driving without a license.]()
By: NANPaying a fine is a common penalty for driving without a license. -
![It is a serious offense when people drive on licenses that have been suspended or revoked.]()
By: LukaTDBIt is a serious offense when people drive on licenses that have been suspended or revoked. -
![People who are caught driving without a license may have to enroll in a training program.]()
By: Lisa F. YoungPeople who are caught driving without a license may have to enroll in a training program. -
![Multiple incident offenders may be arrested.]()
By: ruigsantosMultiple incident offenders may be arrested. -
![Driving without a license is typically an offense that goes on a person's driving record.]()
By: beeboysDriving without a license is typically an offense that goes on a person's driving record.
Discussion Comments
My license is suspended and is eligible for reinstatement in about two weeks. How can I get a ticket for driving on a suspended license if my car is parked at home and I wasn't even in the car? How do I get out of this bogus ticket? Oh, and will the DMV be notified of this action too? This is bull.
This happened to me earlier this week. I happened to lose my license some time last Friday and figured I must have left it at home or in my car, so I'd spend a couple days looking around before jumping into getting a new one (besides, the DMV is closed early Saturdays, and closed entirely Sundays and Mondays).
I got pulled over on Monday evening for a turn signal violation, and was soon arrested for "failure to produce an ID". My car was towed and I was taken away in the paddy wagon. It's not like the officer wasn't able to type in my info into the system and pull up my valid license on file (since he did). Ridiculous.
I got caught driving from my mom's house and was going home, and then I was pulled over by the city police on the interstate. I told him the truth and he still gave me four tickets, towed my truck and left me and my wife and child on the side of the road. I don't think that was right.
@jcraig - I guess I never thought about something like that happening. I am almost positive that in my state, an officer doesn't even have to have a reason to pull you over if he knows you have a suspended license. I doubt it would be much of a problem if you lived in a larger city, but in smaller towns, that would probably be a good reason not to drive with a suspended license.
How much would you expect your insurance to increase if you did get a ticket for driving without a license when it was already suspended or revoked?
Besides getting something like a DUI, what are some of the other instances when you would get your license suspended in the first place? I don't know that I have ever heard it happening for anything besides DUI.
I was actually reading an interesting story about this one time not too long ago. Apparently a lot of people who have had their license suspended keep driving afterward, which isn't really surprising. Anyway, the way most of them get caught isn't necessarily because they were doing anything wrong while they were driving. It is because they got in some sort of fender bender.
The story talked about someone who had had his license suspended for a DUI, but he chose to keep on driving. Someone rear-ended him at a stoplight, and the person in the other car was injured, so of course the police showed up, and they ran his information and realized he didn't have a valid license. In the end, the person with the suspended license got arrested just because someone else hit his car.
@kentuckycat - Yeah, I've had friends have the same thing happen. I think as long as you aren't driving without insurance and they have some way to verify you are who you say, then it's not a big deal.
I have heard of people who have driven without any driver's license, though, and it doesn't sound like fun. At least in my state, I don't know about others, if you have your license suspended or revoked and you are caught driving, your suspension is automatically doubled plus you have to pay whatever fines are associated with it.
I would assume there is probably a court date involved, as well, since there is probably a good reason you have your license suspended in the first place. It definitely sounds like something that is to be avoided.
I got pulled over one time when I forgot my wallet at home. I was in a hurry and accidentally left it on the kitchen table.
After the officer asked for it, I just told him I had forgotten it, so he just asked for my Social Security number and birthday and was somehow able to run that through their system. My insurance and registration and stuff was fine, and my personal information came back okay, so he just told me to stop by the police station or fax a copy of my driver's license within 2 days, and everything would be fine.
I am from a small town, and the police are usually pretty lenient on a lot of things, so maybe that is the reason I didn't get a fine or anything for it. I could see it being different in a larger town, where the police might get in more trouble for now exactly following the rules.
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