Driving With No License: Penalties by State

You are not allowed to drive without a license in any of the 50 states of the United States of America. The first offense will usually result in a traffic infraction while the next offenses will be heavier. A second offense will be considered a felony.

The fine in Oklahoma starts at $50 for the first offense but in another state, like in Illinois, a second offense will require you to pay $25,000. That is a lot of money to pay for driving without a license. Expect that your license will be suspended. In some states, the suspension will only last for two months to a year but this is for the first offense. By the time that you reach second offense, you have to wait for up to 2 years before you can get your license again. The more offenses that you do, the more serious the penalties will be. There is a possibility that your license plate will be removed from your vehicle until such time when you will get your license back.

You do not have to worry about going to jail when it is your first time to drive without a license but for the second offense, you may have to face some jail time. In some states, you will be required to do a few hours of community service. The downside to this: you will get a permanent record of a misdemeanor.

The punishment will be a bit lighter for someone who has never have has a license but was caught driving. This is compared to someone who was caught driving with a license that has been suspended. Take note that in some states, getting caught driving without a license means that you will be escorted by the police in handcuffs. That is not something that you want to experience. You should get to know the penalty for driving without a license.

Left My License ​at Home

You may want to know what is the penalty for driving without a license? It will depend on your present situation. You have a license but you left it at home and it is not revoked or suspended, the penalties will not be too severe. You will probably get a ticket but it will be for a secondary traffic infraction. You may be required to show up in court carrying your driver’s license to prove it.

I Have A Suspended License - Should I Drive?

A lot of people are tempted to drive without a suspended license especially if they need to get from one place to another. This is not recommended because the moment you get caught, you will get dire penalties. The penalty for driving without a license will differ from state to state.

Remember that your license will not be suspended unless you have done something that made you lose your license in the first place. You may have done a major driving offense. It is also possible that you were involved in a DUI. You may be caught driving recklessly.

Revoked or Suspended License - What is the Difference?

Having a suspended license means that you are not allowed to drive for a certain period of time because of the points you have acquired on your very own license. You may be caught driving without proof that you have insurance or other offenses that will be considered major in different states. There are some states wherein the suspension will be lifted automatically. In some states, you will be required to apply again to ensure that your suspension will be lifted.

You have a revoked license when you have lost your privilege to drive. If in case you want to drive again, you need to re-apply and prove that you are capable of driving. You may have lost driving privileges because of a serious driving offense. What is the penalty for driving without a license? You may get your license suspended or revoked.

Unlicensed Driver Drives Your Own Vehicle

One thing that you should remember - never let someone with no license drive your car. Remember that the insurance you get is for your vehicle and not for the driver of the vehicle. If it would be proven that the driver without proper license  is the one driving your car when an accident occurs, your claim will be denied.

If there are repairs needed, you need to shoulder everything on your own. Remember that people cannot get car insurance if they do not have a license. This means that when you are not allowed to get a license, there is no point in having a car.

If the driver that does not have a license is responsible or is the cause of the accident, you need to pay for all of the damages to the other car. You may also need to pay medical bills if the other party acquired some injuries too. Expect that you will be sued if you do not pay.

You should expect that your insurance company will just revoke your policy or will still allow you to get car insurance but with higher premiums than before. This will add to all the other fees that you need to pay for. If your policy gets canceled, expect that you are going to have a hard time searching for a new insurance company that will approve your policy.

Remember that if you allow this unlicensed driver to drive your vehicle, your vehicle may also get impounded. There will be different fees that you will be required to pay for so you can gain control of your car again. Now that you know all of these things, it is evident that you should not let a person with no license get behind the wheel. The penalty for driving without a license will not be worth it.