What Is The Penalty For Driving Without Car Insurance in Idaho?
Reader’s Question:
What do you think the penalty for a second ticket for driving without insurance insurance ticket in the state of Idaho? Am I going to Jail?
Rick
Nampa, ID
The Idaho driver’s manual states that if you violate ID insurance laws, you will, for the first violation, be required to provide proof of financial responsibility for a year. If you commit a second violation in a 5-year period, you will be required to provide proof of financial responsibility for 3 years. The acceptable form of proof of financial responsibility is a certified statement of liability auto insurance coverage from your insurance company which is an SR-22 certificate.
The state of Idaho laws states that driving without car insurance is an infraction punishable by a fine of $75.00 for any individual to violate the provisions of this section for the first time. A second and any subsequent conviction for a violation within a period of 5 years shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by jail time in the county jail not exceeding 6 months, or both.
As you can see a fine and possibly jail time for driving without insurance in Nampa Idaho. I sure hope you do not see jail time, as that seems extreme for your case
Is There a Difference Between a Ticket and a Citation?
Reader’s Question:
My sister was given a citation last week. Is there any difference between a citation and a ticket? How do these affect her car insurance in Boise Idaho?
Ally
Boise, ID
Hi Ally, thanks for asking. There’s no really any difference between a citation and a ticket. By definition, a citation is an official summon, especially one calling for appearance in court. A ticket has a definition of a legal summon, especially for a violation. These two words are interchangeable when discussing being written up by law enforcement for a moving violation.
A citation or ticket will only affect your car insurance if you are convicted of the moving violation for which it was written up for. For example if it is for speeding and you decide to plead guilty and pay the fine then the court will inform your State’s DMV so that the offense can be placed on your driving record. Your car insurance company will then be able to see that offense the next time they pull your motor vehicle record (MVR).
It will still depend on your car insurance company’s rating system whether a certain offense will affect your rates. For example one single speeding ticket may not affect your car insurance rates in Boise ID, but it will likely take away any good driver discount. However, if you already had a previous moving violation conviction on your motor vehicle record, then this speeding ticket may cause your rates to increase. Most states allow each individual insurance company to determine their own rating system and decide which moving violations as well as how many violations or accidents may affect your rates. The car insurance companies then must file their rates with the state insurance regulator for their approval.