Avoid Pleading Guilty to No Insurance Tickets in Missouri

I was sitting in Court the other day and watched three people pleading guilty to no insurance tickets. I shuddered. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

First, that person now has four points on their driving record (that’s only four points away from being suspended).

Second, pleading guilty to no insurance tickets stays on your record forever! You can get a DUI ticket removed from your record, but not a no insurance ticket.

Lastly, pleading guilty to no insurance tickets can even get you be jail time and a fine (although truth be told, I have not seen many people go to jail for not having insurance).

And these are just the consequences for a first time No Insurance Ticket! It gets worse when you have more than one.

So What To Do With a No Insurance Ticket?

Did you have insurance? Then you can go to Court, plead not guilty & show the Judge or Prosecutor a copy of the insurance good for the date of the ticket. They will then most likely dismiss the ticket. But be warned, there are some municipalities whose No Insurance ordinance require the insurance be on the person at the time of the ticket. So that means some cities won’t dismiss with proper proof. Not many but they are out there.

Did you not have insurance? Hire a Lawyer!. In most cases, a lawyer will be able to negotiate with the Prosecutor to have the ticket amended to a non-moving violation (thereby avoiding the four points). But that usually means you will have to get insurance prior to the Court date.

If you need help with a No Insurance Ticket or any other moving violation, please give me a call or fill out the form to get in touch with me. But never plead guilty!