Driving on An Expired License: What Are the Penalties?

If you took a poll of a hundred people and you asked them to mention one of the things that they dislike doing the most (outside of household chores or paying bills), we’re willing to bet that they just might tell you is that they dislike going to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) in order to get their license renewed.

We totally get why that would be the case being that it can oftentimes require hours of waiting just to do something as simple as take a new picture and pay your renewal fee; however, if you put off doing it, that can cause your license to eventually expire which ultimately means that you’ll be driving illegally.

Of course, some people think “That’s OK. I can get away with it for a least a little while” and perhaps they can. But, we don’t advise it. There are actually some pretty serious consequences that come with driving on an expired license should you happen to get stopped by a police officer. For your own sake and safety, we wanted to provide you with five of them below:

A ticket (which is basically a fine). Although some officers may let you off with a warning, that tends to be more of the exception rather than the rule. At the very least, you should expect to receive a ticket that can cost you as much as $250 in some cases. The amount oftentimes depends on how much time you’ve gone with your license has been expired. It’s also a good idea to keep in mind that sometimes the judge will lower the amount so long as your provide proof of renewing your license by your court date.

Points added to your driver’s license. If there’s one place where earning more points is not a good thing, it would be as it pertains to your driving record. That’s because the DMV’s point system is used to keep track of the potentially hazardous drivers on the road. And, if you are caught with an expired license, there’s a pretty good chance that more points will be added to your license as a direct result.

Increase insurance premiums. Do you want to know someone else who won’t be all that thrilled to hear that you’re driving on an expired license? Your insurance agent. Having an expired license basically means that you’re driving illegally, which makes you what is considered to be a high at-risk driver. This can result in your insurance premiums going up and no one really wants to deal with that kind of a headache.

Getting arrested. If you’re caught drinking and driving, you’re going to need to get a DUI defense lawyer. Well, if you are caught driving on an expired license and it’s been several months, the police officer who stopped you has every right to have you arrested. In order to get the matter cleared up, you may need a lawyer as well and that ultimately means more time, more money and a lot more inconvenience than what would have been required had you gone to the DMV to begin with. (Oh, the irony.)

Your car being towed. And finally, if you do happen to get arrested, the police officer is not going to leave your car on the side of the road. While that might seem like good news, you may not want to hear where they will send it: it will be towed and impounded. Yes, this is just one more reason why it’s best to plan ahead, go to the DMV and get your licensed renewed before it expires. For all of the reasons that we just mentioned, ultimately, it’s time well spent.