Q: A while ago I purchased my first car and I recently got pulled over and got a citation for my tags and/or registration
Bought my car from a Mexican family that spoke 0 english and I had to use google translate to communicate. I don't have much family so I didn't have anyone to let me know better and I never got the car registered and the tags were expired and that's why I got pulled over. Maybe something to do with having no insurance too? Idk but I have court tomorrow and idk what to expect or say or if I'll have a lawyer or anything. I'm completely ignorant to this whole thing and I just want to know what to expect and/or say? Especially during this covid pandemic
A:
First, the pandemic does not affect what you say in court. Your first appearance is an "arraignment" where you plead guilty or not guilty. If you show up with valid current paid up registration in hand it will go much better for you than if you say "I got this ticket 3 months ago and didn't do anything to register the car." Same for insurance, you are going to have to have it at some point or you will be paying up to $900 in fines for no insurance. You can buy a lot of insurance for $900. You were probably pulled over for expired tags not insurance, the police cannot be rolling and checking every car for insurance, yet. If you don't take care of these things you will be paying big fines. You will have the right to ask for a postponement or continuance of the arraignment for a short time, if you want more time to take care of business. If you are old enough to be buying a car for yourself, you are old enough to be responsible to take care of registration, licensing and insurance issues, too. Your excuses do not carry much weight.
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