Non-moving violations can come out of nowhere. The last ticket I got was like that. I was driving 65 mph, staying in the far-right lane, getting ready to exit the highway, when a trooper appeared behind me and turned on his light bar. It turned out that his cruiser had a license plate scanner, and mine showed that I was overdue to renew my registration. It was a great reminder to me that the rules of the road cover more than how you drive. Your vehicle’s condition, and the paperwork you have to keep on hand and up to date, matter as well.

Common Non-Moving Violations

Some of the most common examples of non-moving violations that get people into trouble include:

• Expired licenses.
• Expired registration.
• Driving without insurance.
• Driving with a broken taillight or other vehicle-related issues.

While non-moving violations usually don’t have much to do with the way you are driving, a few do. Many states consider speeding camera or red light camera tickets non-moving violations, though Connecticut doesn’t allow either of those. Many states also consider seatbelt violations to be non-moving. If you are unsure if you have been charged with a non-moving violation, check your ticket or contact an attorney.

One of the most serious non-moving violations is driving without insurance. Connecticut takes this violation very seriously because if the driver gets into a car accident, there needs to be protection for any other involved parties. If you are caught driving without insurance, you will have to pay a fine, which generally ranges anywhere from $100 to $1,000, and your license and registration will be suspended by the DMV if you’re convicted. A first offender will lose their license for thirty days, and each subsequent offense will cost you your license for six months. If you own an uninsured commercial vehicle, however, you could be looking at felony charges.

Before you try to challenge a ticket for operating without insurance, you will need to get coverage to have any chance of success, and in any case you’ll have to obtain coverage before your license can be restored.

A common non-moving violation in Connecticut is driving with a tail light out. This is considered a mechanical and equipment violation. This infraction could result in a warning or a traffic ticket accompanied by a fine. Often, this type of violation can be tricky to avoid because tail lights may go out without the driver even realizing. To avoid this, be sure to frequently test out the lights on the vehicle and make sure that they are effective, especially before driving at night, which is when this violation is most easily spotted. Again, to successfully fight a ticket for this offense, you’re going to have to fix what’s broken.

Handling a Non-Moving Violation

With most paperwork issues, you should receive a notice from the DMV if a deadline is coming up, like if your license is going to expire shortly or you need an emissions test. Bear in mind these notices will go to the address the DMV has on file, so if you’ve moved and haven’t told them, you need to do that. Try to renew your license before the expiration date, and try to apply for the renewal about four months before it expires. If you miss the expiration date, you can still go to the DMV and renew the license. However, if you allow your license to be expired for over two years, you will be required to retake the driving test in order to renew. There will be a $25 fee for failing to renew your license before the expiration date either way.

As a general rule, non-moving violations are less severe than moving violations, but, as I mentioned a minute ago, even some non-moving violations can turn into felony cases. In most cases, you won’t face points on your license or other serious consequences if you face a non-moving violation, so sometimes your traffic attorney might negotiate with the prosecution to have a moving violation like a cell phone ticket substituted to a non-moving violation where the state can still fine you, but you don’t risk having points assessed.

If you’re facing a non-moving violation in Connecticut, I hope this page helped answer questions you might have, but you can always call our office for more information.