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You sound like a reasonable person and are taking the criticism very well. You know you screwed up and have admitted as much. Lots of us have been in similar financial situations at times in our lives, and I know it seems like the hole gets deeper and deeper sometimes.
Your best bet is to just stop the things that will get you deeper in trouble by not touching that car until you have it registered and insured. There must be some problem with you getting title, what has happened there ?
Judges are human too and if you go in showing remorse and admit you did wrong because you are in financial straits right now and had to get back and forth to work, he or she will probably show you some leniency. It will help to tell them the car is not moving until you get it legal.
The title isn't really that big of an issue being that I read on the Michigan DMV site the other day that you can register a vehicle with an out-of-state title. Only reason I hadn't gotten the replacement yet is I was certain that I had it packed away somewhere from the move. But being that I can't find it, I guess I'll just have to pay the $90ish for a replacement.
Still unsure whether to take a chance that I can get enough money together in time to get it legal before the court date would roll around (and then actually be able to afford the ridiculous insurance cost afterwords), or write in an explanation and hope for the best..
I assume you do have a good driving record before all of this occurred. If not you best prepare to be riding the bus and forget about a car for a while .
Do not write an explanation - go there personally. Dress nice and look sad and remoseful and explain your situation in an apologetic and not "poor me" way. Get the issues taken care of before court if you want to continue driving. Otherwise just sell the car and go to court and tell them you sold it becasue you could nto afford insurance and registration.
Written explanations are a cop out and it is very easy to stamp "denied" on a wtritten explanation, especially if it sounds whiney. It is harder to look someone in the face and tell them you are not going to give them a break.
Cold that is great advice...I had an accident once with a person with no insurance and THEY WERE AT FAULT ..I have no sympathy for people who get caught with no insurance.
Point taken on the written vs. in person approach. Will just have to take off work for it. On the ticket though, would that be the 'Deny Responsibility' option? Or do I just need to go into the clerks office to schedule the hearing and the ticket doesn't really matter beyond that?
For those recommending the bus route, it really isn't practical. I start work most of the summer at 7 am and there are no bus routes to get me there by then. Not to mention, the cost is quite a bit more than I expected (not taking into account a bus pass) and the time it takes for this particular route is the same or longer than simply walking to work.
The bottom line is, regardless of what you do, you can not touch the steering wheel of that car again until it is registered and insured. If you get caught again the consequences will be way worse than this first offense, and if you should happen to get in an accident and someone is hurt or killed you will be facing REAL problems.
There are a lot of cut rate insurance companies that will insure you for $50 a month or so, as long as you have a decent record, and sometimes if you don't. You need to shop around and do some internet research on discount insurance companies. You do not need full coverage, just the PIP minimum that your State requires.
Point taken on the written vs. in person approach. Will just have to take off work for it. On the ticket though, would that be the 'Deny Responsibility' option? Or do I just need to go into the clerks office to schedule the hearing and the ticket doesn't really matter beyond that?
For those recommending the bus route, it really isn't practical. I start work most of the summer at 7 am and there are no bus routes to get me there by then. Not to mention, the cost is quite a bit more than I expected (not taking into account a bus pass) and the time it takes for this particular route is the same or longer than simply walking to work.
Find a legal way. You keep doing what you are doing now and I promise you that you will be worse off. You will get busted again. It may affect your license. Then it turns into no license tickets. Hard to get to work while getting hauled off to jail.
Bussing and bikes is what I had to do for a while. It sucked. I hated it. An hour bike ride is no fun but doing things illegally will end you up in jail.
If insurance is to expensive, then you are not making enough to save for it in the future. You driving the way you are now will not be a short term thing. You getting into an accident, even minor can cost you. Can you afford to be sued?
Many years ago, my mother was hit hard by a uninsured driver. It was an accident. He had to do jail time. He has tens of thousands of medical bills he has to pay.
Go to court. Man up. Pay your fine. Park the car until it's legal. I work for a major insurance and I have seen first hand how uninsured drivers lives get turned upside down. It's not worth it.
This is the last I have to say on this subject. Driving without insurance is plain stupid. Not only is your life affected but you can potentially destroy somebody else's with bills and property damage. Get ahead the right way and it will work out for you quicker.
Just was looking up some stuff on the courts website and looks like the tickets themselves come to around $300 total. If I make the court date and go through actually saying that I didn't have current registration and insurance, is it possible they could charge me with more than just not having proof of both with me?
I do not understand why you do not get the registration and insurance done, if not everything get it started and have some paper work with you.
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