The cause and effect of driving without a valid registration - Essay Example

The Cause and Effect of Driving Without a Valid Registration Every has traffic laws that make it unlawful to drive a motor vehicle when it is not registered with the department of the state for registration of motor vehicles, or in some cases the motor vehicle bureau. Another offence would be driving a vehicle that was once validly registered but that registration has expired. This would mean that the fees that are required and the forms that are supposed to be filled have not been submitter to the authority of the state that deals with motor vehicle department within the period for which it was supposed to be registered.

I once had the unfortunate experience of being pulled over by a policeman when driving a motor vehicle whose papers had expired. The reason I committed this infraction was a very innocent mistake. My friends and I had been waiting on my brother to drive us to classes that morning. He however could not do it and so I had to drive my friends to school. I was not sure whether the motor vehicle was registered or there was just no proof that it was registered because I did not really ask. It was later during the day, after the encounter with the police officer that I realized my brother had not renewed his papers for over three months.

Moreover, the vehicle did not fall in the category of vehicles that need not be registered for a person to be able to use the on the roads. Generally the effect of this situation depends on the length of time the registration is not valid or has expired. The penalties increase with the increase in time. The offense is normally considered to be a moving violation if the motor vehicle has not been registered for a period a period that is longer than six months in most jurisdictions. Most insurance companies see this as a risk and in most cases would also increase their rates on that particular motor vehicle.

The motor vehicle with which I committed the infraction had not been registered for less than six months. In this case therefore, my offence was considered a non-moving violation and the police officer left me off with a warning. I was glad that this would not affect my newly acquired driver’s license, and there would also be no effect on my brother’s insurance rates (trafficviolationlawfirms.com). In an instance where the offense would have been considered a moving violation, there would have been several consequences.

As already mentioned, the ticket would have counted on the license and like in several other moving violations, the insurance rates would have also been affected. I would also have had to pay a fine. However, one thing that should be noted is that there is a difference between driving a motor vehicle without a valid license and driving a motor vehicle that has no valid registration. Driving without a license has an entirely different set of issues. This experience though had one major effect on me.

I have always considered myself a careful and considerate driver as I know the lives of other people if not my own depends on this. I have now made it a habit to confirm the registration of a motor vehicle that I am driving, and the proof of that registration every time I hit the road. Works Cited Driving Without Registration, (n.d) retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://www.trafficviolationlawfirms.com/driving-without-registration.cfm