Driving Without Insurance in Bucks County

Not having insurance is a crime in Bucks County. Operating a motor vehicle without insurance and getting into an accident is also a crime. In both cases, it could lead to thousands of dollars of fines, cost, and civil penalties as well as long-term license suspension. A civil judgment against an individual for operating a vehicle without insurance that is not satisfied in the civil court may lead to a driver’s license suspension indefinitely until that judgment or lien is rendered and satisfied. If you have been charged with driving without insurance in Bucks County, speak with a capable traffic attorney that could seek a positive outcome for you.

Local Insurance Requirements

The insurance requirements in Bucks County for a driving operating a motor vehicle on the streets are to have proof of insurance within that motor vehicle regardless of whether or not the motor vehicle is owned by the driver. The operator should be able to show proof of insurance and provide any other information necessary should an accident occur or police requests it. It is a motor vehicle infraction and a person may receive a citation for both operating a motor vehicle without proof of insurance and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. In either case, individuals are subject to hefty fines and even court appearances, if they are caught driving without insurance in Bucks County.

Uninsured Driving Scenarios

A person may find themselves facing a charge for uninsured driving if they were operating a motor vehicle that was owned by the individual and was not insured at that time. A person may receive a motor vehicle infraction or traffic citation if stopped by police. In cases where an individual was involved in a motor vehicle accident and the motor vehicle that they were operating was not insured, the individual may face charges for operating an uninsured motor vehicle, which carries both fines and costs in the criminal courts and traffic reports. It also may make an individual liable in the civil court.

Reckless Driving Charges Administered by Ticket

Reckless driving charges can be administered in a number of ways in Bucks County. First and foremost, they are administered in a traffic violation in such a fashion that an individual upon a guilty plea or conviction after a hearing could lose their license for a specific period of time.

Additionally, fines and costs for reckless driving can exceed $5,000. In some extreme cases, individuals could even face incarceration. In more severe cases where reckless driving leads to a criminal act, such as injuring another individual and driving under the influence, criminal courts will handle the reckless driving case as well as the open criminal charges.

In those cases, an individual will not only be cited but will be arrested, processed, required to post bail, and have their matter heard in the criminal courts of Bucks County. It starts with the magisterial district court level and goes all the way up to the Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown.

Attending Traffic Court Hearings in Bucks County

Under all circumstances in Bucks County drivers need to show up to court for speeding tickets. Any time a driver enters a not guilty plea by mail, a subpoena is sent out and a court date is set. Under those circumstances, an individual must show up to court. It is very important to make sure the individual is represented as an attorney will not be appointed to an individual for such a hearing. First, a person must show up to court by entering a plea of not guilty and second, once the person shows up to court, they should be represented by an experienced traffic attorney.

In cases where an individual merely enters a guilty plea by mail and does not ask for a hearing, then that individual is accepting the guilty plea, the penalties, the potential points, and license suspension that go along with those penalties without any representation. This is highly inadvisable because in most cases, simply entering a guilty plea and mailing a payment leads to points, which can lead to a suspension, loss of license, and higher insurance rates, which affects all the parties.

Certain traffic violations in Bucks County and Pennsylvania will always require a hearing. Careless driving, driving without a license and driving while suspended all require hearings in Bucks County. An individual must always appear in court and should they be facing these serious charges, they should always have an experienced traffic lawyer by their side. If an individual has been charged with driving without insurance in Bucks County, they should consult a capable traffic attorney that could advocate for them.