Never Pulled Over, Received a Mystery Citation

[PensFan469]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania

I recently received a citation in the mail for driving an uninsured vehicle. The citation is over 5 weeks old. I was never pulled over on the day in question. In fact, I've never been pulled over for lack of insurance. I sent the citation back with a letter explaining that there must be a mistake and I refuse to sign guilty or not guilty until I see proof that my car was even driven that day. They sent another copy back with a court date saying I plead not guilty! I do not want to go through the hassle of appearing in front of a magistrate in a township I've driven through sporadically, but have never ever been pulled over in, especially if they won't even clarify if there's evidence that my car was driven. Do I have any say in this matter? I'm fairly certain I did not drive that day, but even if I was driving an uninsured car, why would they mail a citation a month and a half later and when I was never pulled over?!

 

[The Occultist]

You didn't mention it, so I must ask: was their a lapse in your insurance? If you, you'll likely not have much to stand on as far as fighting this citation.

It's possible that an officer randomly ran your plates and found that your vehicle was not insured at the time. Since he didn't pull you over, that is why you were mailed the citation. The fact that it was over a month old will likely not mean much since I'm sure the statute of limitations is indeed over a month.

As far as "proof" goes, the evidence will be the officer's expert, unbiased testimony in court, and that typically stands to be enough to convict you.

What this all boils down to is whether or not such a citation can be issued through mail without an actual stop. My belief is that this will be possible to beat since the cite for driving an uninsured vehicle goes to the driver, not the owner, and since you weren't pulled over, there isn't actually any positive ID to attest that you were the one driving. Perhaps a more insightful poster will be along, but in the meantime I do recommend sitting down with a local attorney to see what they may have to say.