No proof of insurance. Forgot to present insurance card afterwards.

[etatauri]

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

Hi, I was pulled over about a year ago for having an air refresher on my rear view mirror. He let me go with a warning but unfortunately all I had was a temporary insurance card that was out of date, but I did have insurance under my parents' name at the time.

I was cited but the officer told me that if I showed my insurance card within 30 days I would be OK. I sent in a copy of my insurance information via mail but was returned stating that I must come in in person with the card. I set it aside to do it later but forgot.

Fast forward one year and I spontaneously remembered that I have forgotten to do so, and realized I've been driving with a suspended license (checked with the DMV license check website) for a year, but was lucky enough to not get caught. Now I am totally scared out of my pants what will happen to me. The law states that imprisonment and fine due to misdemeanor could result.

I am 24, and have only gotten one speeding ticket going 80 in a 65 mi/hr zone prior to this incident but other than that I have a clean record. What should I do? If I go to the DMV could I get arrested on the spot for confessing?

 

[Hey There]

Ball is in your court

Which law are you referring to?
DMV employees don't arrest drivers.
You haven't been cited for driving without a licence.
If you prefer, a lawyer should be able to tell you which steps to take to reinstate your licence for a small fee or none.

Let us know how this goes,
Best Regards,
Hey There

 

[etatauri]

Thanks for your reply. I have been driving my car with a suspended license, although I did not get cited for it. Could that come up in court? And also my driver's license address is old so it is possible that I haven't received letters from the court... Could I be charged more for prolonging my citation for this long and perhaps ignoring court dates? The possibility of jail time is really scaring me..

 

[I_Got_Banned]

I have been driving my car with a suspended license, although I did not get cited for it.

Then keep it hush. Even if they ask you and you say "YES", short of you getting pulled over while suspended and the officer finding out, they can't do anything if you don't get caught.

Could that come up in court?

Not unless you bring it up... and that wouldn't be too smart. Look, if your license has been suspended for an entire year, chances are, you have been driving while suspended but again, there's nothing they can do about it unless you get caught. NOW QUIT MAKING AN ISSUE OF A NON-ISSUE.

And also my driver's license address is old so it is possible that I haven't received letters from the court...

Well, aren't you supposed to report your new address to the DMV within so many days after it changes otherwise you can get cited for it. And before you start with "what if they find out" & "can they find out"... go to the DMV and complete a change of address form.
And, yes, chances are, the court notified you of the pending citation as well as of your suspended license but you never got anything because they had an old address.

Could I be charged more for prolonging my citation for this long and perhaps ignoring court dates?

Well, in your first post, you stated that you were cited for failing to show proof of financial responsibility (insurance). A citation typically has a due date. If that date comes and goes and you fail to show up in court to handle whatever you're supposed to handle then an added charge of "Failure to Appear" may be added by the court. This is what typically triggers the court to place a hold on your license and once the DMV is notified of that hold, then your license status is changed from "valid" to "suspended".

STOP PANICKING for a second and let me finish...

Now, I assume that you were in fact insured when you were cited so as far as the initial violation, the court should dismiss that upon your in person appearance along with proof that you were in fact insured at the time.

That leaves the FTA "Failure to Appear" charge. Which you already are aware of the fact that it is a misdemeanor. And that it can carry a monetary fine and/or jail time... So this is not a joke!!!!!

You can get all freaked out about this or that but in reality, until you go to court to get this scheduled for an appearance before a Judge, your license status will remain under suspension, so you either take care of it ASAP or you don't drive until you do.

Point is, I wouldn't even drive to the courthouse... if I were you... Get a friend to take you there because you have a suspended license, possibly a warrant for your arrest (I'm not sure how Minnesota handles FTA's), if you get pulled over and in addition to the FTA, the suspended license and the possible warrant, you will have a "driving while suspended charge" which might also be a misdemeanor.

The possibility of jail time is really scaring me..

You know all those stories that you hear about and/or see on TV aren't really true...

Well, not all of them at least.

EDIT:

I am 24, and have only gotten one speeding ticket going 80 in a 65 mi/hr zone prior to this incident but other than that I have a clean record.

CORRECTION: Having one ticket means you DO NOT HAVE CLEAN RECORD!!!!!

 

[etatauri]

OK, so I went to the DMV and had my driver's license reinstated although I need to call the court to see if they changed my status. I also checked with the bail bond company and found out I did not have an arrest warrant out on me. I'm pretty confused whats going on, but I'll post an update after I make that call tomorrow. Thanks for all your help, I have trouble with anxiety so it's nice there are help out there.