Driving with an Expired Driver’s Licence: Consequences Beyond the Ticket
Many people in Ontario have no idea when their driver’s licence expires. Rather than taking note of the expiration date, they wait until they receive a notice from the Ministry of Transportation before beginning the renewal process. However, failing to renew your licence on time can have serious consequences.
Knowing when your licence is due for renewal is essential. If you are caught driving with an expired licence, you can face a fine of $200.00 to $1,000.00 under the Highway Traffic Act.
While the fines associated with driving with an expired licence can be significant, the consequences could be even more severe in the event you or someone driving your vehicle is involved in an accident.
A condition of all automobile insurance policies in Ontario is that a driver must be “authorized by law” to operate a vehicle in order to be entitled to insurance coverage. In order to be “authorized by law” to operate a vehicle, you must have a valid driver’s licence that is not expired. In other words, if you operate your vehicle while you have an expired driver’s licence or lend your vehicle to someone who has an expired driver’s licence there is no insurance coverage on that vehicle. This means that you could be personally responsible for property damage and personal injuries in the event of a collision.
In the event that you are injured while driving with an expired licence, it may impact your ability to sue an at fault driver, or to claim various accident benefits.
In order to ensure you are protected, it is important to know when your licence expires and renew it well in advance of that date. Also, it is important to confirm that whoever drives your vehicle has a valid driver’s licence. It is better to ensure that you are protected, rather than getting a nasty surprise later on.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle collision, you should contact a personal injury lawyer at Oatley Vigmond for a free consultation to determine your options.
About the Authors
The son of a grocery store clerk, Kevin grew up outside of Perth, Ontario. He credits his humble beginnings with the development of his underdog mentality, an approach he has carried into his legal career.
He attended McMaster University for two years before being granted early admission to Osgoode Hall Law School. After being called to the bar in 2008, Kevin began practising law in Hamilton before joining a leading Toronto litigation firm, representing Canada’s largest insurance companies on personal injury actions. “I didn’t find it fulfilling,” Kevin recalls. “I was helping companies save money, when what I wanted to do was help the people going up against these major corporations.” Since joining Oatley Vigmond, Kevin has used his insurance-industry experience to protect his clients and recover the compensation they deserved. He’d been at Oatley Vigmond for two months when he settled a matter for a client at a mediation. “You felt the burden of the litigation, and her injuries, lifting off her. I wanted to help even more people experience the relief of having their uncertainty lifted.’”