I received a ticket because in my friend’s car because their registration was expired. Is that fair?

Hi, my name is Heather Ford, and I am a traffic attorney in the city of New Orleans also known as the traffic ticket lady. Today, I want to discuss an issue that people encounter on occasion.

Getting back to today’s focus: What happens when I get a ticket in my friend’s car?

For example, you may be driving your friend’s car and get pulled over. Then, it turns out that your friend’s car registration was expired, that they doesn’t have any insurance on the car, or that maybe the license plate is invalid! Is that your responsibility? Is it fair for you to receive that ticket?

The law states that you, the driver, are responsible for knowing the status of your friend’s car. So, if you get in your friend’s car, you need to check that they do have a current registration and valid insurance, because if you get pulled over, those tickets will be charged to you and will be yours to handle.

Sometimes, this type of situation may even more complicated, because after receiving the ticket, some city attorneys and DA offices then require you to bring in proof of information showing that car now has a current registration and valid insurance. In these circumstances, it might be really difficult for you to provide that information, because quite often, after people get these types of tickets in their friends’ cars, they may not be friends anymore.

So, if you have an issue that you’re dealing with where you have a question about what you can do to resolve your traffic tickets, feel free to shoot me a text or schedule a free strategy session at trafficticketsnola.com.