Got caught driving without a license?

okay so a little info about me. im 17 1/2 years old. i have a permit. which i left at home but i dont have my license yet.

my parents were gone out gambling with one of my other friends parents, so i thought i would take out the car and go to the beach. so i picked up three of my guy friends, and other friend sammie sat in the passenger seat. we went to the beach, played for a bit, and as i was driving back, i got pulled over by a cop. He asked for my license and insurance. I gave him the car insurance papers and i told him i didn't have my license. he asked the guys if they had their license, so brian and lam gave theirs to him.

he asked me to get out of the car, so i did. he said i could of gotten arrested or the car could get impounded for up to a month, but he told me he would let it go this time, and told brian to drive us home. I got a ticket for driving w/out a license and another one for making an illegal right turn.

my court date is in may. what exactly will happen? i heard if the cop doesn't show up, then your excused. this happened to brian's mom. is this true?

i know i have to pay a fine and stuff... will i have to do community service? will i be put on probation? what exactly is probation? how much do u think the fine be? and when can i not get my license til? some people said i have to wait until im 21, and other ppl said i have to wait until im 18, which is this october. i dont think i can wait til im 21, because im going off to college this coming fall and i can't get rides for the next four years of my life... and will my permit be revoked?

and when i go to court, do i have to bring cash or check? and do we even pay the fine there? do i bring both of my parents or just one or can i go alone.
plz help. ive never been in trouble my whole life!

AND YES I KNOW I MADE A STUPID *** MISTAKE SO PLZ DONT RUB IT IN.
Additional Details
oh and will my insurance rates go up because of this?

George A

Don't hold your breath that the officer will not show up. Most departments give the officer extra pay to make sure they do show up for DMV court & the officers that do not can be reprimanded in some departments. It is also possible, that if the officer is on a very serious emergency call & there is just no way of being in court on time, some courts will continue the hearing & reschedule it for another day when (s)he can be there.

As for you- you will lose your permit unless the judge & DMV cuts you some slack like the officer did. Under the CA teen driving laws, you will not be eligible now for your driver's license now until you are at least 18, possibly even 21. So get used to having to depend on your parents driving you everywhere you need to go to again.

You will be issued probably 2 points on your permit, 1 point for driving without a license & 1 for the illegal turn. Under the same CA teen driving laws, 2 points in 12 months on a Provisional Permit/License gets you a 30 day restriction & 3 points in 12 months is a suspension.

You will also be hit with a very expensive fine. The CA fine structure even scares me- the simplest of infractions in that state can cost easily $100, where in other states it may only be no more than $20 for the same violation.

And your parents may very well see an increase on their insurance premium come renewal time if you are still under their policy, or on your insurance if you have your own policy.

You are going to learn a very expensive lesson & not just expensive money wise either. A license (or permit) to drive is only a privilege, not a right. The state of CA is under NO obligation to give you a license- ever. There is no state law, nor in the US Constitution, granting you the right to a driver's license. And under that privilege is rules & responsibilities. If any of those rules or responsibilities are violated, there are consequences- as you have witnessed first hand.

The best of luck to you at your hearing & I do hope that the Judge & DMV does cut you some slack, as the officer did.

dirtytricksracing@sbcglobal.net

You will be fined . lose your driving privileges till your 21, your insurance rates are going to be very high. You can use the time to learn how to spell and good grammar

Marc

Things won't be any different whether the officer is there or not. You will be at the mercy of the judge in regard to the penalty imposed. Hopefully, you will have learned a valuable lesson.

aznboi542

the chances of the cop not showing up is slim.... but for sure you wont have probation ro have to do community service.

Carl

Don't count on the cop not showing up. Be prepared to have your entire permit to be taken away. Or, at least you have to start over.

Yes the rates go up higher the more trouble you get yourself into.

I think since this is your first time, assuming, then the judge may let you go with a small fine and maybe some community service. Are you on your learners or provisional? If you are on your provisional, you might have to start the 6 or so months over again.

If you are still on your learners, then you should not even be driving after a certain hour or without your parents. If that is the case, your entire license will be taken away.

thirty ot six

sounds like u went out gambling also, to bad you lost small fine and mostlikly grounded better tell parents asap so its not a surprise to them

oklatom

Yes, when you do finally get a license, you will be even higher than normal risk as a result of driving without a license, and it could reflect on your costs for coverage.

The "If the cop doesn't show, the case is dismissed" ranks along with "If you're born after 1993 you have to wait until you're 18 to get a license." It's Urban Legend and not true.

If you decide to go to court and enter a "not guilty" plea, you will be assigned another court date to be heard, and the officer might be asked to attend then. Or perhaps the state will just take his statement for court. The fact that you signed for the ticket will establish you were there. It's a very easy matter to establish you did not have a license to drive on that date, and you'll be found guilty.

As to the rest of the questions, it depends. Since your car could have been impounded for 30 days, I would guess you are in CA. But go see the clerk and see if you can just pay the fine. You may or may not lose your ability to get a license until age 18, and you may or may not be required to attend with a parent. But they can tell you when you see the clerk and ask about it.

Good luck with it.

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