Virginia Motorists Getting Wrongfully Ticketed: Report
Drivers receiving tickets for something that isn’t against the law
Tuesday, Dec 27, 2011 | Updated 9:58 AM EDT
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Virginia drivers may be getting tickets for something that isn't even against the law.
Virginia drivers may be paying hundreds of dollars in fines for tickets that should have never been written, legal experts say.
According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly, court records show that drivers in several counties in the state have been hit with large fines for driving without proof of insurance.
State law requires all drivers to either carry liability insurance or pay a $500 uninsured motor vehicle fee. If a driver fails to do either or lies about carrying insurance, they can be convicted of a misdemeanor and pay a fine of $500. But several lawyers argue the statute says nothing about being able to produce an insurance card during a traffic stop.
However, some Virginia police officers have been citing that law when charging drivers with failure to have proof of insurance.
Court documents show the tickets have been written in Prince William, Sussex, Dinwiddie and Colonial Heights counties.
