Do you know the fine for driving without insurance in Ontario?
Driving with no insurance comes with a serious fine in Ontario. I know that it may seem tempting to get behind the wheel before you finalize your insurance coverage, however, if you get caught, or if anything were to happen, the consequences are severe.
Do you know what this fine is?
Anywhere between $5,000 and $25,000. It all depends on how your case goes. You’ll also find yourself dealing with other expenses (like getting your car towed away).
Why is the fine set at this rate?
The government wants every single vehicle on the road to be insured. There’s plenty at risk every time that you go on the road since there are so many different factors at play (flow of traffic, possible snow storms, etc.). The last thing we need is to have someone get into an accident and have them not be able to cover the damages.
You see, insurance usually pays for everything in the event of an accident. Let’s say you cause an accident. Let’s say that the other vehicle gets destroyed and the driver has serious injuries. The insurance company will have to cover the medical costs, expenses associated with them missing work, and other damages. Without insurance, you’re going to have to pay for everything on your own. The chances are that you won’t have the cash sitting in a savings account. You might have to sell some property. You might find yourself in a legal disaster.
The other issue is that the police don’t want to take the chance of you fleeing from the scene of the accident because you don’t have insurance. The goal of insurance is to protect you and the other drivers on the road. Nobody wants to be stuck dealing with the legal system. Car accidents are stressful enough as it is.
How do you avoid this fine?
You don’t get on the road until your car is fully insured. Not only do you risk being stuck with hefty expenses in the event of an accident, but you also risk a huge fine. It’s just not worth it.
Driving without car insurance is a serious crime in Ontario. Don’t risk it. Just pay for the insurance. If the cost of insurance intimidates you, just look for ways to save. You should also always have your insurance in your vehicle at all times because you don’t want to deal with trying to prove that you forgot your insurance slip at home.