My car insurance is running out, what to do?
How long can you drive with an expired insurance policy in 2019?
The introduction of compulsory car insurance, fines for its absence, as well as the abolition of the period of time during which the driver was allowed to drive a car without an insurance policy, forced motorists to more carefully monitor the validity of their insurance. Everyone who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle must clearly know in what situation he can drive a car without insurance, and also understand what fine awaits him for violating the requirement to have a compulsory motor liability insurance policy.
How long can you drive a car without a valid compulsory motor liability insurance?
Driver liability insurance is mandatory for persons driving vehicles. If the policy has expired, in accordance with current legislation, you cannot drive. An expired insurance policy will be equivalent to a situation where there is no insurance at all. Accordingly, if this offense is detected, traffic police officers will fine the driver of the car.
Therefore, if the policy expires, you need to spend time getting to the office of the insurance company, where you need to draw up a new auto insurance policy and only then get behind the wheel of a car.
In addition, you can solve the problem of lack of insurance in a different way by applying for a compulsory motor liability insurance policy via the Internet. An electronic insurance contract is equivalent to a paper document and has the same force.
What is the penalty for expired insurance?
The validity period of the MTPL policy does not exceed 12 months, so the driver must keep track of the time when it is necessary to renew the insurance.
In the event that a traffic police inspector discovers that a driver is driving a vehicle and his insurance is expired, the violator will face a fine:
- So, in accordance with Part 2 of Art. 12.37 of the Administrative Code for driving a car with an expired insurance policy, the driver will be fined 800 rubles.
- The same amount of fine will be issued for the driver who drove the car without having a registered compulsory motor liability insurance policy.
- If insurance is issued and a forgetful driver left it at home, then the fine will be 500 rubles.
There are no additional penalties associated with the removal of license plates or towing the car to an impound lot.
Developments in an accident if there is no insurance
If as a result of an accident it turns out that the participant does not have a compulsory motor liability insurance policy, then the development of events may occur as follows:
- a person who does not have auto insurance will be found at fault for the accident. He will be required to compensate for all damage caused to the victims, as well as pay an administrative fine for the lack of a policy;
- a driver without insurance must pay only an administrative fine.
When can you drive without insurance?
Current legislation provides for the only option when you can drive without a compulsory motor liability insurance policy - purchasing a car. From the moment of acquiring the rights to a vehicle as a result of purchase, inheritance or receipt under a gift agreement, the owner has 10 days to obtain insurance. During this period, traffic police officers do not have the right to fine the driver for not having a policy, but the driver is not exempt from the need to compensate for damage in the event of an accident.
In addition, there is a certain type of vehicle for which insurance is not required:
- The car is registered in a foreign country, where an international insurance policy has been issued for it.
- Transport is the property of the state and is at the disposal of the military unit.
- The maximum speed of vehicles does not exceed 20 km/h.
Insurance policy: the most famous myths
Some car enthusiasts trust myths that they can drive a vehicle without taking out a car insurance policy. The most common ones are:
- When driving a car under a power of attorney, the driver may not have a formalized compulsory motor liability insurance policy. This is not true; any person driving a vehicle must have a motor vehicle insurance policy.
- Until 2009, the legislation of the Russian Federation had a rule allowing drivers to drive a car with a compulsory motor liability insurance policy that was no more than 30 days expired. Today there is no such rule; after the expiration of the insurance period, the driver must take out a new one.
- Motor vehicle insurance is not required for motor vehicles. This is a misconception; motorcycle owners need liability insurance just like car owners.
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My car insurance has expired. How long can you drive without insurance?
If your insurance is expiring or your compulsory motor liability insurance has already expired, then you may ask whether you can drive if your car insurance has expired, how long you can drive without insurance, and how much time is given to renew your insurance. In this article we will talk about the validity period of compulsory motor liability insurance after the expiration of the term.
To answer the question “how long can you drive without insurance after it expires,” you should distinguish between the concepts of “insurance period” and “period of use of the vehicle.” The period of use of the car may be shorter than the insurance period (if an insurance contract is concluded taking into account the limited use of vehicles). Limited use also includes driving vehicles only by drivers specified by the policyholder. The consequences of the expiration of the period of use are different from what will happen if you drive with expired insurance (at the end of the entire insurance period). Further in the article we will consider the case when the insurance expired - the car insurance period.
How to find out when your car insurance expires
You can find out how long you can drive under your policy when the insurance period expires by looking at your MTPL policy:
- the car insurance period is indicated in the upper right corner of the OSAGO policy,
- the period of use of the car during the insurance period is indicated under the insurance period.
Your car insurance is running out: what to do?
If your policy expires, you need to contact the insurance company to conclude (renew) a contract of compulsory civil liability insurance for vehicle owners.
How long before expiration can OSAGO be extended?
The law does not stipulate the period for how many days the compulsory motor liability insurance policy can be renewed. Therefore, if your car insurance expires, you can conclude a new insurance contract in advance or extend it for a new period.
But, if you are unable to purchase a new MTPL policy in advance, do you want to try to save money or have you simply forgotten that your car insurance has expired, how long can you drive without insurance?
If your insurance has expired, is it possible to drive without it?
At the moment, upon expiration of the compulsory insurance contract, the compulsory motor liability insurance policy ceases to be valid, and the driver’s liability on the road is considered uninsured. Driving with expired insurance is the same as driving without insurance.
The question “how long can you drive with expired insurance” is asked due to the fact that previously the law provided for a grace period during which (at the end of the insurance period) it was possible to conclude an MTPL insurance contract for a new term without negative consequences.
How long can you drive if your MTPL insurance has expired? The law gives a clear answer to this question
How long can you drive without insurance after it expires?
Car owners are required to insure the risk of their civil liability, which may arise as a result of causing harm to the life, health or property of others when using vehicles.
How long can you drive if your insurance has expired? Not at all - you are legally prohibited from driving with expired insurance.
What is the validity period of compulsory motor liability insurance after the expiration of the term and how much time is given to renew the insurance? There is currently no validity period for MTPL insurance after expiration, and insurance must be renewed in advance.
We’ll tell you further about what happens if your car insurance runs out.
Car insurance has expired: what happens if you stop
If your car insurance has expired and the traffic police has stopped you, the driver behind the wheel will be issued a fine.
How much is the fine if insurance runs out?
As we found out, driving with expired insurance is equivalent to driving a car without insurance. Therefore, if the car insurance has expired, the amount of the fine in this case is determined by paragraph 2 of Article 12.37 of the Administrative Code, according to which “failure by the owner of the vehicle to fulfill the obligation established by federal law to insure his civil liability, as well as driving a vehicle, if such compulsory insurance is obviously absent , - entails the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of eight hundred rubles.”
If your insurance expires and an accident occurs
What to do if your car insurance has expired and an accident occurs will depend on who you are recognized as:
- victims,
- or the culprit of the accident (as you know, the culprit of the accident is not provided with payments under compulsory motor liability insurance, but the insured culprit of the accident will not compensate for the damage to the victim within the insured amount).
So, we found out the answer to the questions “if your car insurance has expired, how long can you drive without insurance” and “how long can you drive with expired insurance.” The law does not provide for the validity of the MTPL policy after the expiration of the insurance period.
Fine for expired MTPL insurance in 2019 and how long you can drive without insurance after it expires
Many documents have an expiration date, after which the securities turn into trash. Compulsory motor liability insurance is no exception, which means today we will understand what punishment is imposed for an expired motor liability insurance policy, as well as what time limits are provided for its re-issuance.
Fine for expired MTPL insurance in 2019
Many motorists do not follow news related to the world of cars; this entails a number of misconceptions. To prevent this from happening, we want to tell you about the fine for an expired MTPL policy in 2019.
How often do you look at your policy? Do you remember the exact date of registration of compulsory motor liability insurance? If not, then I advise you to check it just in case, although the fine threatens to be very small, no one excludes its increase in the near future.
According to Part 2 of Article 12.37 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, sanctions provide for a fine of 800 rubles for late insurance policy.
Failure by the owner of a vehicle to fulfill the obligation established by federal law to insure his civil liability, as well as driving a vehicle if such compulsory insurance is obviously absent, entails the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of eight hundred rubles. (as amended by Federal Laws dated June 22, 2007 N 116-FZ, dated July 23, 2013 N 196-FZ)
Part 2 of Article 12.37 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation
I would like to clarify a little that expired insurance is equivalent to its absence, that is, when there is no valid policy.
License plates are not removed, and your car is no longer sent to the impound lot.
How long can you drive in 2019 if your MTPL policy has expired?
Now I would like to talk about the timing of renewal of a car insurance policy. Previously, if the compulsory motor liability insurance policy had expired, another 30 days were provided to go to the insurance company and issue a new policy. From now on, this law has been repealed, which means that the validity period of the compulsory motor liability insurance policy after expiration is zero days.
Based on this, I advise you to contact the insurance company one day before the expiration date of your insurance to purchase a new policy.
How can you drive without MTPL insurance?
There are many myths that suggest driving irresponsibly without insurance.
Riding by proxy. Sometimes it is mentioned on forums that if a driver drives by proxy, then he does not need insurance. Not true. The vehicle has an owner, he is obliged to insure his car. Therefore, having entrusted the car to someone else, this driver must also be included in the insurance.
Familiar. Everyone has “good friends” in one area or another. And, of course, “well-connected” motorists decide not to spend money on these stupid papers if they can solve everything if something happens. Those who do this are violators. Everyone should have compulsory motor liability insurance, and if it is missing, there will be a fine.
Whatever method you come up with for driving without an insurance policy, it will still be punishable. Although there may not be large fines yet, time does not stand still. Remember, you cannot drive without compulsory motor insurance.
I would like to summarize. Insurance is made for a certain period and upon expiration it is necessary to take out a new policy, otherwise you will have to constantly pay fines.
We hope we were able to answer your question - how long can you drive without insurance after it expires and what is the fine for overdue insurance?
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What to do if your car insurance has expired?
The MTPL policy is one of the mandatory documents that you must have with you when you are driving. If this policy is not available, then the driver will be punished. It is used even if, in principle, the document was drawn up, but it was simply left at home.
How long can you drive without insurance?
The name OSAGO received compulsory insurance of civil liability to third parties. The law obliges vehicle owners to purchase this policy.
It is better to use public transport to get to the place where you can register and receive a new document if the old one has expired. Not only the driver himself can take out a policy, but also the one who drives the car thanks to a power of attorney.
The insurance policy confirms the presence of a registration certificate card, so there is no need for it.
Expired insurance: about current fines
Any document of this kind is valid for 12 months. The document can indicate the period of time during which the vehicle is used. This is convenient for those who, for example, use only public transport in winter.
- 800 rubles is the minimum fine for drivers driving with an expired document.
- 500 rubles are paid by those who drive the car for a period not specified in the insurance.
How long can you drive without insurance? In what cases is this permitted by law? Answers in this video:
What are the penalties for missing a document?
- A fine of 800 rubles is imposed on those who generally drive a car without compulsory motor insurance. In this case, two persons will pay the fine if the driver and the owner are different individuals.
This feature is separately described by the Administrative Code. Inspectors can remove license plates from a car if the driver does not fulfill his insurance obligations. Then the culprits will have only 24 hours to pay the fine. Otherwise, the ban on using the vehicle will be extended. - The insurance, which the driver, due to his forgetfulness, left at home, will cost 500 rubles. But in some cases, inspectors limit themselves to warnings.
- 500 rubles is a fine for having a driver behind the wheel who is not included in the insurance at all. Read more here.
But there are several controversial points in this direction.
For example, you have insurance, but the driver forgot it at home. However, the traffic police officer does not believe this. And he issues a fine as if the document was not available at all. But such issues can also be resolved.
You need to take the receipt and not object specifically at the moment the violation is discovered. After this, you can take the evidence to the traffic police department to challenge the decision. The DVR recording along with valid insurance are the most important materials in this case.
What the law says about the possibility of driving without a policy. Photo: avto-yslyga.ru
In the event of a lack of insurance and an accident, the situation can develop in two scenarios:
- The culprit of the accident is the one who does not have insurance with him. He is required to pay not only a mandatory fine, but also to compensate for all damage caused to the other participants.
- There is a need to pay an administrative fine. The absence of compulsory motor liability insurance will not affect the receipt of insurance payments. And it cannot become a reason for refusal to take further action.
If the driver is registered with OSAGO, is it necessary to write a power of attorney? What is the penalty for lack of a power of attorney and in what cases? See the link for details.
Is it even possible to travel without a policy, in what situations?
The only time when the absence of insurance is acceptable is immediately after the car has been purchased . But there is no basis in the law on which the right to own a vehicle appears.
Various events can trigger the acquisition:
- Entry into the right of inheritance.
- Obtaining rights for economic management, operational management, and so on.
- Drawing up a purchase and sale agreement.
- Drawing up a gift agreement.
There are types of vehicles that do not require mandatory insurance:
- If the maximum speed reaches 20 kilometers, but does not exceed this figure.
- The law of the Russian Federation on admission to participation in road traffic does not apply to cars due to any technical characteristics.
- Registration and insurance were issued on the territory of foreign countries.
- Transport belongs to members of official military formations in the service of the state.
What fines face those who drive without insurance or with a fake policy? Watch the video:
Insurance policy: the most famous myths
- After the expiration date, you have only 30 days to apply for a new one.
This information is outdated. This grace period was valid only until 2008. Currently there are no such rules.
- You don't have to take out insurance if you have a power of attorney.
The owner must have a policy, which simply includes another person who has the right to manage it. And the policy itself is mandatory for everyone.
- The document is also issued for the trailer.
- A fine of 500 rubles is imposed if there is a typo in the policy.
The law does not provide for any punitive measures just for typos.
- Driving without insurance results in the car being taken to a parking lot. And you have to pay extra for her services.
If a violation is detected, inspectors simply issue receipts requiring payment of fines. Registration numbers can only be removed if repeated violations are detected.
- A motorcycle does not require an MTPL policy.
Motorcyclists insure their liability in the same way as owners of other vehicles.
If your insurance has expired, how can I renew it?
Extension of MTPL policy
The basis for renewing the current policy is an application written by the driver. A sample application for renewal of a current MTPL policy can be downloaded below for free.
If you are forced to take out additional insurance, what should you do? Tips on how not to overpay for unnecessary services are here.
But you will also need to present additional documents, including:
- PTS along with a vehicle registration certificate.
- Certificate confirming the technical inspection.
- A driver's license from everyone who is planned to be allowed to drive.
- Passport.
- The policy that was in effect before.
In fact, this package of documents can be easily submitted to any insurance company. It is better to clarify in advance which papers will be needed for this.
It doesn’t matter why the policy is not in the car. This action always remains punishable. The fines are not large yet, but almost every year decisions are made in favor of increasing them.
The main thing is to always remember that the insurance itself is issued only for a certain period. When it ends, the vehicle owner will need to issue a new document. Otherwise, there is a high probability of administrative penalties.
Increased fines are more likely when violation detection statistics increase. It is better to pay for the document once than to constantly pay fines later.
What to do if your car insurance has expired
In recent decades, the insurance market has been rapidly developing in Russia, covering almost all spheres of society. Numerous insurance companies offer a wide variety of insurance options - human life and health, and the safety of their property. One of the types of insurance protection for the population is a motor third party liability policy - OSAGO.
The introduction of this type of insurance was established at the legislative level. Registration of compulsory motor liability insurance is a mandatory procedure for all owners of motor vehicles, regardless of the class of the car and its affiliation. Using a vehicle that does not have civil liability insurance is fraught with a fine, as well as a number of other unpleasant consequences.
What is a “motor citizen”
The purpose of compulsory motor liability insurance is to resolve, with the help of an insurance company, issues related to damage caused by road accidents. This type of insurance was first introduced in the United States in the 20s of the twentieth century and was caused by an increase in the number of car accidents and financial problems with their settlement. After World War II, the US experience was transferred to most Western European countries. In Russia, compulsory motor third party liability insurance was introduced only in 2003, with the entry into force of the relevant legislation.
According to the terms of the contract, the insurance company undertakes to compensate part of the damage to the party injured due to the fault of its client. The object of insurance in this situation is the life, health and property of the injured party, injured in an accident due to the fault of the company’s client. The amount of payments is established by federal legislation and after the adoption of amendments in 2017 is:
- 400 thousand rubles – compensation for damage to someone else’s vehicle.
- 500 thousand rubles – compensation to the injured party in case of harm to life and health.
A special feature of compulsory motor liability insurance is the fact that the insurance company is obliged to compensate for the damage caused in the amount of the specified limit an unlimited number of times. That is, theoretically, the client can demand coverage for damage caused daily in various accidents throughout the entire duration of the insurance contract.
Compensation for damage to the second party involved in the accident occurs only if the client of the insurance company is found to be at fault for the accident. Otherwise, the damage caused to the client must be covered by the insurance company of the person responsible for the incident.
Any car insurance contract is valid for 12 months, but the car owner can indicate in it a certain period during which he does not use personal vehicles. If the car owner does not use the car in winter, these months may be excluded from the contract in favor of the summer period of the next year.
Compulsory compulsory motor liability insurance
Purchasing a motor vehicle policy is a prerequisite for operating a vehicle. Therefore, one of the first actions when purchasing a new car is concluding an MTPL agreement with any of the insurance companies that provide these services. Car owners often wonder how long they can drive if their insurance has expired? The answer to this question is clear – not at all. According to federal law, driving a vehicle without a signed insurance contract is prohibited.
Each driver, when leaving the garage gate, is required to have a valid MTPL insurance policy with him. Driving an uninsured vehicle is considered an administrative offense and is punishable by fines. The amount of the fine may vary depending on each specific case.
Today it is:
- 800 rubles for driving a car in the absence of a policy or in case it is overdue.
- 500 rubles – for operating a vehicle during a period of time excluded from the agreement (for example, in winter).
- 500 rubles – if the car is insured, but the driver forgot the policy at home.
- 500 rubles if the car is driven by a person not included in the insurance policy.
When driving an uninsured car, a fine is imposed directly on the person behind the wheel. If the driver is not the owner of the car, then, according to administrative legislation, both the owner of the car and the one who drove it will pay the fine. This is due to the fact that both of these people violated the law and both should be punished in the form of a fine.
If the car owner has insurance, but at the time of the trip, out of forgetfulness, left the policy at home, he will also be fined by the road inspectors. But in this case he has a chance to challenge the fine. To do this, you should apply to the traffic police to cancel the fine issued by the inspector. Along with the application, you should submit a valid insurance policy, a receipt for a fine and, if possible, additional evidence - witness statements, a car registrator record, video footage.
In addition to penalties, the driver who is driving when the compulsory motor liability insurance for the car has expired faces other troubles. If he gets into a car accident that was his fault, such a driver will be required not only to pay the above fine, but also to reimburse at his own expense the cost of all damage caused. But even if, following the results of the investigation, another person is found to be at fault for the accident, the owner of the uninsured car will still be subject to a fine.
When can you drive without compulsory motor insurance?
As you know, our legislation is famous for the large presence of all kinds of inconsistencies and legislative “gaps”. Normative acts relating to compulsory motor liability insurance are no exception. Despite the unambiguous nature of the regulations that do not allow driving a vehicle without a valid MTPL policy, other provisions of the law allow for exceptions. So, in some cases, it is still permissible to drive a vehicle without an issued motor vehicle liability policy.
This is only possible in one case – immediately after purchasing the car. The legislation does not stipulate specific cases in which a vehicle should come into the possession of a citizen.
Accordingly, it could be:
- Buying a car, both new at a car dealership and used on the secondary market.
- Inheriting a vehicle.
- Receiving a car as a result of an act of donation.
- Providing a car for temporary possession, operational or economic management (for example, due to the nature of a person’s professional activity).
In all of the above cases, the car owner is given a ten-day period to conclude an MTPL agreement. During this time, he must solve all problems with registering the car, if necessary, undergo a technical inspection, and then purchase a car insurance policy from one of the insurance companies. All this time, the owner has the right to drive a newly purchased car, for example, to undergo a technical inspection procedure. During these 10 days, traffic police inspectors cannot impose fines on the driver or otherwise interfere with driving (remove license plates, place the car in a parking lot).
If a traffic police officer still fines the driver during the 10-day time limit provided by law, the car owner has every right to appeal this decision. To restore justice, you should contact the traffic police, providing a receipt for the fine with the specified date of its issuance, as well as a document confirming that a ten-day period has not yet passed after purchasing the car.
Such a document may be a bill of sale, a certificate of inheritance rights, a gift agreement - all these documents must contain the date of transfer of ownership rights.
Myths about the “motor citizen”
With the exception of the ten-day period following the purchase of a car, the law on compulsory motor liability insurance does not provide for any relaxations. Meanwhile, rumors persistently continue to circulate among motorists about other legal opportunities to drive an uninsured vehicle. Therefore, to the question “what to do if your car insurance has expired?” There is only one answer - you should either conclude a new contract or switch to public transport.
Among the myths about compulsory motor liability insurance that are most persistently held in the minds of some drivers, two can be noted: about a thirty-day grace period and the ability to drive a car without insurance by proxy.
Myth No. 1 - after the expiration of the insurance contract, the driver has a month allotted to conclude a new one. Unfortunately, the legislation does not provide for any “grace period” in this case. If the insurance policy is about to expire, the car owner should take care in advance to purchase a new one. Otherwise, he will be fined the very next day after the end of the car insurance period.
To be fair, it should be said that this provision was not previously a myth at all - it existed in the first edition of the legislation on compulsory motor liability insurance. The provision on thirty-day “vacations” was in force since the adoption of the first law in 2003, but was repealed in its new version, back in 2008. Therefore, today, if your compulsory motor liability insurance for a car has expired, you should immediately purchase a new policy.
Myth No. 2 – if a driver drives a car under a power of attorney, it is not at all necessary to take out car insurance for him. This statement is only partially true. Indeed, a person driving a vehicle by proxy is not at all obliged to insure it. However, he will not be able to do this - concluding an MTPL insurance contract is the exclusive prerogative of the car owner. But if the car is not insured, then no one has the right to drive it, neither the owner nor any other person. The exception is a 10-day grace period after purchasing a car.
In addition, a citizen driving a car under a power of attorney must be included in the insurance policy. Otherwise, both the owner of the car and his “trusted representative” will be fined 800 rubles as violators of administrative legislation. The exception is the situation when the owner has a so-called extended policy. If it is available, it is not necessary to include in the insurance the person driving the car by proxy.
In general, the practice of car insurance is still quite new for Russia, and it is still undergoing a “break-in” period. This is evidenced by the amendments and additions regularly made to the law on compulsory motor liability insurance, as well as misunderstandings and excesses that arise from time to time, caused by imperfections and insufficient refinement of the legislative framework.
In this regard, if any problems arise when concluding an insurance contract, or when receiving payments, you should immediately seek help from a lawyer who professionally deals with insurance issues.