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Driving without registration in the state of Pennsylvania has some serious repercussions if you are caught. There are laws in place that are there to help protect the people of Pennsylvania and to make sure that everyone is held accountable for their driving. Without registering vehicles, we would not know who is driving what car in the event of a car crash or hit and run.

Here, we will explain to you some frequently asked questions about driving without registration in Pennsylvania, and what to do if you are caught and fined for driving without registration in the state of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania’s Law on Driving without Registration

According to Title 75 Pa.C.S.A Vehicles​​ § 1301, no person is permitted to drive or move a car on any highway within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania unless the vehicle has a prior exemption from registration.

Additionally, no owner or motor carrier shall knowingly permit their vehicle to be driven on any highway if it is not registered in the Commonwealth unless the vehicle has a prior exemption from registration.

Essentially, the law says that you cannot drive your car on or have someone else drive your car if it is not registered in the Commonwealth. If you do, you are breaking Title 75 Pa.C.S.A Vehicles § 1301 and are likely to be pulled over. Even if you are driving a friend’s car and you do not know that it is unregistered, you can receive penalties under Pennsylvania state law.

If you are pulled over for driving without a vehicle registration in Pennsylvania, you will most likely be fined, get points added to your license, and probably a court date, so you should obey the law and avoid all the legal mess you could find yourself in.

What Happens if I Do Not Register my Car in PA?

If you do not register your vehicle with the state of Pennsylvania, then you will not receive valid state license plates or registration documents. Without valid license plates, you are extremely likely to be pulled over by the first police cruiser to notice you are missing your license plates.

Additionally, even if you manage to not get pulled over for not having a license plate, if you get pulled over for something else and the police officer asks for your license and registration and you do not have a registration, you are likely to get heavy penalties or fines.

If your car is stolen, there is no way for police to identify your vehicle as yours if they find it and no way to track your vehicle through security footage or eye witness accounts because license plates help police to pinpoint which car is where, regardless of make, model, or color.

Even if all the cars in the world looked different, license plates would still be incredibly important for keeping track of where all the cars are, and who their rightful owners are. That means if your car is stolen and you are without registration, even if the police find your car, there is not a guarantee they can return it to you because you do not have the identifying plates or papers.

Luckily, registration is a simple process that is cheap and easy.

Yearly Registration Fees in PA

The yearly registration fee is crucial to keeping your vehicle registered in Pennsylvania. The yearly fee is only $39 for a passenger vehicle and is only due once a year. Most of the unregistered vehicles in Pennsylvania are unregistered because the owner did not pay the yearly fee.

It is an easy thing to forget, so remember to mark your calendar and pay your yearly registration fee. It is much cheaper to pay the yearly registration fee than to pay for the penalties and fines that you will most likely be charged with if you are caught driving an unregistered vehicle in Pennsylvania.

The penalties for driving an unregistered vehicle are not small or easy to undo, so we recommend that you stay vigilant about keeping your vehicle registered. If you do happen to slip up and get caught driving an unregistered vehicle, then you may want to read up on some of the citations, fines, and penalties you could be facing.

Penalties for Driving Without Registration in PA

There are many penalties for driving a vehicle without registration. The penalties for driving without registering your vehicle may include any of the following, as well as other penalties:

●     Fines and Monetary Penalties: You can be charged with a fine that is much more expensive than the yearly registration fee and is decided upon by the attending officer or court if you are taken to court.

●     Points on License: You can receive points on your license that can add up and result in the suspension of your license or getting your license privileges taken away.

●     Suspension of License: If this is not your first time getting caught driving an unregistered vehicle, you may have your license suspended immediately, rather than getting points added to your license.

●     Citation Fee for the Ticket: You may be charged a citation fee for the ticket or court costs resulting from getting caught driving an unregistered vehicle.

●     Insurance Issues: You may see a rise in your insurance premium cost due to driving an unregistered vehicle. You may also experience an inability to obtain insurance if you are a repeat offender. Insurance companies do not want to work with people who are irresponsible behind the wheel.

As much as you may try to keep your vehicle registered in Pennsylvania, sometimes mistakes happen and you are caught driving an unregistered vehicle. Maybe you forgot to pay the yearly fee, maybe something else. If you do get caught driving without vehicle registration in Pennsylvania, hire an attorney through appwinit.com!