Going to court in 2 hrs: ticket for not having insurance card

[Ebtek]

i got pulled over for speeding.
was asked for license/registration/insurance
i didnt have my most recent copy of the insurance card, i presented an old one.
i pleaded with the cop to not give me a speeding ticket, he said he'd see what he can do.
came back with a failure to have insurance card (i dont remember the formal name, the ticket's in the car), and said if i brought it to court they would likely throw it out, if i presented the current insurance card.

i pleaded not-guilty and mailed the ticket in.

do i just go there today and hope for the best? are they going to ask me anything?

[Pete_Coach]

Do you think there may be a possibility they may as for proof of insurance at the time of the incident? You think they may want something from your insurance company that says you were covered on that day at that time? I suspect the papers they mailed you with the pink slips attached showing the dates sent to you may (only may) be sufficient. It is up to you to prove you were covered and just telling the judge to trust you ain't gonna cut it :)

[Ebtek]

thanks for the tips, but doesnt it say on the pink insurance slip, the "from" and "to" dates for which my insurance is valid?

if my "from" date on the pink slip is prior to the offence date, will i be okay?

[Pete_Coach]

thanks for the tips, but doesnt it say on the pink insurance slip, the "from" and "to" dates for which my insurance is valid?

if my "from" date on the pink slip is prior to the offence date, will i be okay?

Who is to say that you did not arrange this with your agent after the fact?

[ssainani]

Who is to say that you did not arrange this with your agent after the fact?

really ... if he can manage to backdate insurance .... he does have coverage .... in which case he's not guilty

i doubt a broker would do this though as well

[Ebtek]

really ... if he can manage to backdate insurance .... he does have coverage .... in which case he's not guilty

i doubt a broker would do this though as well
Exactly. And if someone is willing to fabricate a pink insurance card, they'll likely put together a phoney letter too.

[Whitedart]

[QUOTE=ssainani;9419527]really ... if he can manage to backdate insurance .... he does have coverage .... in which case he's not guilty/QUOTE]

He was not charged for failing to have insurance.
He was charged for failing to produce the proof of insurance slip when requested.

[TrevorK]

I think you need to come up with a statement as to why you are not guilty for failing to produce your insurance.

You can't just show up in court, tell the judge "Look, I have insurance. See, here it is." and expect him to say "Well, you have produced your insurance now so we'll call it even. Not guilty."

[Ebtek]

I think you need to come up with a statement as to why you are not guilty for failing to produce your insurance.

You can't just show up in court, tell the judge "Look, I have insurance. See, here it is." and expect him to say "Well, you have produced your insurance now so we'll call it even. Not guilty."

you would think, but thats pretty much what happened.

got to court.
stood in line to meet with that initial lady
she asked my name, and pulled my file.
asked i brought my insurance card.
i showed it to her
she said she's withdrawing the charges, and to have a seat

judge came in
eventually called my name
that lady said (in a nutshell) she saw my insurance card, and its satisfactory, and she's dropping the charges
i left.

i didnt really know what to expect, but it was quite painless

[Anonymouse]

Just talk to the crown in a normal non-beligerent tone of voice and show him that you really were insured when the ticket was written. Tell him you've learned your lesson and always have a copy in a special plastic folder tucked under your visor or in your glove compartment.

S/he is likely to drop the charge because court time is expensive and there is little point in pursuing it if s/he thinks you're going to be a good boy from now on.

EDIT: DOH, beaten to it. Glad it worked out for you, OP.

[Pete_Coach]

you would think, but thats pretty much what happened.

got to court.
stood in line to meet with that initial lady
she asked my name, and pulled my file.
asked i brought my insurance card.
i showed it to her
she said she's withdrawing the charges, and to have a seat

judge came in
eventually called my name
that lady said (in a nutshell) she saw my insurance card, and its satisfactory, and she's dropping the charges
i left.

i didnt really know what to expect, but it was quite painless
Great, glad everything worked out for you :)

[hightech]

I had something similar a few years ago and had the new policy in the glove box (which got stuck towards the back of the box) and I could not find it for the officer.

Went to court and they dropped the charge. Cop is happy (billed overtime) and I lost $$ for work.

Keep in mind that showing the wrong item is an offense as well.

[comicbookguy]

you would think, but thats pretty much what happened.

got to court.
stood in line to meet with that initial lady
she asked my name, and pulled my file.
asked i brought my insurance card.
i showed it to her
she said she's withdrawing the charges, and to have a seat

judge came in
eventually called my name
that lady said (in a nutshell) she saw my insurance card, and its satisfactory, and she's dropping the charges
i left.

i didnt really know what to expect, but it was quite painless

who is the initial lady that you spoke to?

i have a similar situation and i'm going to court tomorrow. this is the only ticket i have on my record and i've never gone to court before, i'm a little nervous as to what to expect. i have a failure to show insurance and a speeding ticket. do you discuss both your tickets with that initial lady, who i am assuming is the prosecutor?

[VorteC]

who is the initial lady that you spoke to?

i have a similar situation and i'm going to court tomorrow. this is the only ticket i have on my record and i've never gone to court before, i'm a little nervous as to what to expect. i have a failure to show insurance and a speeding ticket. do you discuss both your tickets with that initial lady, who i am assuming is the prosecutor?

The initial lady is the crown, yes.

You will check in with her right before the trial starts, outside of the courtroom. If you have any questions or requests, tell her then. During the trial, the prosecutor may drop one of the tickets, and just make you pay a fine, or something like that.. in which case you can accept or decline.

For you I'm gonna guess she will drop the failure to show insurance ticket, and lower the charge of your speeding ticket.

[comicbookguy]

The initial lady is the crown, yes.

You will check in with her right before the trial starts, outside of the courtroom. If you have any questions or requests, tell her then. During the trial, the prosecutor may drop one of the tickets, and just make you pay a fine, or something like that.. in which case you can accept or decline.

For you I'm gonna guess she will drop the failure to show insurance ticket, and lower the charge of your speeding ticket.

thanks for the response.

i'm planning to show up 30 minutes before the trial time. is this ample time, or should i arrive earlier?

[rexio83]

i got pulled over for speeding.
was asked for license/registration/insurance
i didnt have my most recent copy of the insurance card, i presented an old one.
i pleaded with the cop to not give me a speeding ticket, he said he'd see what he can do.
came back with a failure to have insurance card (i dont remember the formal name, the ticket's in the car), and said if i brought it to court they would likely throw it out, if i presented the current insurance card.

i pleaded not-guilty and mailed the ticket in.

do i just go there today and hope for the best? are they going to ask me anything?

You were speeding , the cop did you a favor, he gave you a fine that will not show on you driving record, you should have thanked him and paid the fine the next day.