Driving without insurance or license - Traffic lawyer explains

Many people are interested in saving on vehicle insurance or license costs by avoiding payment. However, this behavior has serious consequences that may cost a lot of money. It is a mistake to think that driving without insurance results in saving money, since the vehicle could be involved in an accident at any moment.

Our law firm specializes in a number of areas, including traffic offenses and driving without a license, as well as everything related to traffic laws and courts of traffic offenses.

The consequences of this phenomenon have recently spread considerably, and our office has represented many people involved in road accidents who unfortunately had not acquired obligatory car insurance or even a legal vehicle license.

Driving Without Insurance May Result in Serious Consequences

Any Israeli driver or vehicle-owner knows that they must acquire obligatory insurance. The insurance covers the full damages caused to the vehicle in the case of an accident, theft, etc., or damage caused to a third party. Driving without insurance may lead to undesired consequences if a car accident occurs.

If an accident occurs and bodily injuries are caused, the driver will have to bear the expenses of the various medical treatments and other expenses, depending on the circumstances of the accident and its consequences. The Road Accident Victims Compensation Law – 1975 explains this in detail.

The law also explains when the State covers bodily damage/death caused by road accidents through the Karnit road accident victims compensation fund. However, in such cases, the State will file a monetary claim against the driver responsible for the accident and or against the driver who drove without insurance. These lawsuits may reach hundreds of thousands of shekels.

The Penalty for Driving Without Insurance

Non-compliance with the traffic regulations that require acquiring obligatory insurance may cause legal problems for the driver. The minimum penalty for such an offense is disqualification of the driver’s license for a period of three months. Additionally, the driver may be charged with various offenses. This matter and the penalties involved must not be taken lightly.

In many cases, people driving without insurance also commit another offense, such as driving without a license or with an invalid license. Examples of this include driving with a license that has been cancelled, or that has expired more than a year before the incident.

Driving Without Insurance – Annual Vehicle Inspection

In Israeli law, Section 2 of the Road Transport Ordinance (new version) – 1961 requires vehicles to undergo an annual inspection that examines the vehicle’s suitability for safe use on the road. Unfortunately, however, not all drivers obey this, and road accidents in Israel are on the rise. According to the latest data, in many cases, at least one of the vehicles involved in a car accident does not have a valid vehicle license.

What is the Penalty Usually Imposed in Cases of Driving Without a Vehicle License?

The penalty for driving without a valid license depends on the circumstances:

If the driver is caught driving with a vehicle license that has expired up to six months earlier, the driver will be fined NIS 250.
If the driver is caught driving with a vehicle license that has expired more than six months earlier, they will be summoned for a hearing at the court of traffic offenses. It is very possible that the penalty will be a fine; however, it may also be incarceration, depending on a number of factors, the most important of which are the year of manufacture of the vehicle – whether it is old or new, the age of the driver, and the offense dates.

Contact Us in the Following Cases:

Driving without a valid vehicle license (annual vehicle inspection). This is an offense for which an indictment (summons) is filed with the court of traffic offenses, depending on how long the license has been invalid, against the vehicle owners or even against the driver. If you are charged with these offenses, we recommend that you call a qualified lawyer from our law firm in Jerusalem, who will be happy to provide you with assistance, help, and advice.