Q: If my mother let me borrow her car knowing it had no insurance or valid tag and i got tickets for both, what do i do?
My mother is elderly with memory problems. My older sister handles her finances and affairs. My mother stopped driving and I borrowed her car with her permission a few times. My sister stopped paying the insurance, allowing it to lapse and the registration to become suspended and did not tell me. In fact, she deceived me into thinking the car was still legal to drive. I then got pulled over in it and issued citations for no insurance and driving on a suspended registration. I'm looking at $1,500 in fines and losing my license. I have since taken ownership of the car, registered it, and added it to my insurance. What can I do about the tickets if anything? I have asked my mom and sister to help and they are ignoring me. We all live in Gerogia. I have copies of a text conversation between me and my mother where she states that my sister told her the insurance and tag were valid and it was ok to drive the car. Please help! Thanks.
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A:
Unfortunately, traffic tickets like "no insurance" are known as "strict liability" offenses. That means that knowledge and/or intent are not elements of the offense. In other words-it does not matter whether you knew a car had insurance-only that you drove the car without insurance. As far as the suspended registration charge-they would have to be able to prove that you knowingly drove the vehicle with a suspended registration.
I would suggest you hire an attorney, ask for a public defender if you are indigent, or go to court and explain your situation to the prosecutor and perhaps they will work something out that you would find agreeable.
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