Fine if you forgot your MTPL insurance policy at home

October 2, 2019

Forgot to take

Not included

Not issued

Expired

Is it possible to drive without a compulsory motor liability insurance policy? Most drivers know that they are required to carry valid insurance. And yet, a situation in which you are stopped by the traffic police, but you don’t have the policy in hand, is not excluded. We suggest you figure it out: when can you be required to provide insurance? What punishment do you face for not having an MTPL policy and can it be avoided? What if the driver is not included in the insurance? In addition, we will talk about the most pressing issue today: do cameras record the absence of a compulsory motor liability insurance policy in 2020?

When do you need to show insurance?

Despite the fact that the law on compulsory motor liability insurance only speaks of two cases of presenting an insurance policy (an accident or an inspector drawing up a protocol on an offense), traffic regulations oblige car owners to always have insurance with them.

The list of documents that the driver must present to the police upon request is not very long:

• driver's license;
• vehicle registration documents;
• insurance policy.

In some cases, you will also need permits to transport passengers or cargo (for taxis) or papers confirming disability (for cars with the appropriate sign).

Thus, the inspector’s request to show him the insurance is quite legitimate. And if you cannot do this, the law provides for a fine for driving without a compulsory motor liability insurance policy. The amount of the fine will vary depending on the situation.

What happens if you forgot your MTPL at home?

Everyone knows that insurance must be in the car at all times (along with the driver’s license and car registration documents). But for various reasons, when stopped by a traffic police officer, you may not have the policy on you. You can avoid responsibility for your forgetfulness if you convince the inspector to check the current MTPL policy against the internal database.

Having information about the VIN number and driver's license, any police officer can enter them into the Ministry of Internal Affairs database and receive all the information about the availability of insurance and its validity period.

Sometimes the inspector is ready to meet the driver halfway and simply issue a warning - such a decision is possible according to the law. On the other hand, sanctions for a similar situation are provided for in Part 2 of Article 12.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation: for a driver who forgot insurance at home, the fine will be 500 rubles .

If the inspector does not want to hear about online checks at all and is not ready to take your word for it, the amount of the fine will be increased to 800 rubles (the violation is classified as driving a car without an MTPL policy, as if it did not exist in principle). This can be appealed: write a statement addressed to the head of the guard service and attach a copy of the policy to it.

Driver not registered

Insurance companies recommend taking out open insurance for a reason: this way you can avoid many troubles. After all, the inspector will issue a fine if he does not see the name of the person who is driving on the insurance. The amount of the fine is the same as in the previous case ( 500 rubles
).

The fine will be issued even if the person included in the OSAGO policy is in the car as a passenger. However, his presence will help to avoid further troubles: after all, if no one who has the right to drive this vehicle is nearby, the car will be towed to the impound lot.

There is another way to avoid a fine for a driver who is not included in your insurance. If you anticipate a situation in which a stranger will have to get behind the wheel, draw up an agreement “On the free use of a vehicle” in advance. Such a document does not need to be registered, and its registration is free. At the right time, all you need to do is enter the details of the new driver into the printed contract: the paper will be valid for 10 days.

Driving a car without insurance

If there is no insurance at all (it was not taken out), the amount of the fine will be higher: 800 rubles. Some car owners, having found out what fine they expect for driving without a policy, believe that its size is not comparable to the cost of the policy. Why then take out a compulsory motor liability insurance policy in principle?

We do not recommend taking the insurance survey so carelessly. Firstly, the main purpose of the policy is to help you out in the event of an accident. Secondly, there are no restrictions in the law on the number of fines issued. Roughly speaking, if you are “caught” without a policy three times in one day, you will be issued three fines. And finally, repeated violations can even lead to legal proceedings.

OSAGO policy is expired

If the car owner missed the time to renew the insurance and drives with a policy that has expired, the fine will also be 800 rubles.

Insurance fine in 2021

It is important to note that in the near future, receiving a fine for driving without compulsory motor liability insurance (in its complete absence) will become possible even if you were not stopped by an employee of the State Traffic Inspectorate. The fact is that in some regions of the country in 2021 (in particular, in Moscow), pilot projects have been launched to identify vehicles without insurance using traffic cameras.

In accordance with Law No. 196-FZ of December 10, 1995, the use of a vehicle without compulsory motor liability insurance is prohibited. And according to Article 4.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, there cannot be double liability for one administrative offense.

But you can receive a repeated fine for lack of compulsory motor liability insurance countless times during the day. This is allowed, since the new protocol will change the place and time of the administrative offense. That is, we will be talking about a new violation.

In conclusion, it should be noted that auto liability insurance is a mandatory type of insurance that allows you to compensate for possible material damage that you, as a motorist, can cause to the cars of other drivers.

If you have a valid policy, but it was left at home or at work, you can count on a warning or a fine of 500 rubles. A monetary penalty is imposed if the inspector cannot confirm your words about the availability of insurance. These sanctions are regulated by Article 12.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (Part 2).

The law allows you to drive without an insurance policy only if you bought a new car less than 10 days ago.

This situation is fraught not only with a fine, but also with criminal liability. If you travel on knowingly forged documents, then you may face:

1. Fine up to 80 thousand rubles.
2. A fine in the amount of your salary for six months.
3. 480 hours of correctional labor.
4. Arrest for up to 6 months.

OSAGO is issued for 1 year, but the policyholder can reduce this period and save. This solution is actively used by summer residents who use their cars only from late spring to mid-autumn.

There is only one disadvantage of this program: if you go on a trip in winter, when the policy is not valid, then you will face a fine of 500 rubles.

A fine for driving without insurance is nothing compared to the possibility of getting into an accident. If another car is damaged due to your fault, or harm is caused to a person’s health or life, you will have to pay for everything yourself. If the car is insured, then the insurance company will handle the payments: the maximum compensation for damage to property is 400 thousand rubles, and to health and life – 500 thousand rubles. Thus, the presence of compulsory motor liability insurance is a guarantee of your peace of mind and the safety of your budget.

Today you can get insurance even without visiting an office. Companies offer online purchasing. You need to provide personal data and information about the car, select a suitable insurance program and expect a document by email.

Drivers often refuse to purchase insurance for financial reasons. However, there are several ways to save:

• Choose the insurance company with the lowest base rate.
• Buy a certificate for a shorter period if you use the car temporarily.
• Drive carefully: if you have never had an accident during the year, then the Bonus-Malus coefficient will allow you to get a 5% discount.
• Take advantage of comprehensive insurance programs. Sometimes insurers offer a discount if the client takes out several policies at once and insures not only a car, but also an apartment, life, and health.
• Choose a car with average engine power. The more powerful the engine, the more expensive the policy. The recommendation is relevant for those who have not yet purchased a car.
• Indicate in the policy a specific list of persons who have the right to drive the car. If you select the “No restrictions” column, then the cost of the policy increases almost 2 times.

• What is OSAGO
• What is the penalty for not having a policy?
• Is there a repeat fine?
• Can I be fined for not having an E-OSAGO printout?
• How is a violation recorded?
• When a fine is not issued
• What if I received a fine for not having a policy?
• When can a fine be contested?

How is a violation recorded?

Traffic police inspector. A simple document check can result in a fine if the driver has not purchased an MTPL policy. The inspector will check the database - it will take no more than 5 minutes. If the driver’s car is not listed in the database, he will draw up a violation report.

Experiment with cameras. The cameras have not yet learned how to compare car license plates with the database of existing policies. The press service of the Moscow Traffic Management Center reported that there is a technical possibility for this. The only question is connecting the Ministry of Internal Affairs database to the RSA database - this has not been done yet.

Are there additional penalties for not having insurance in 2020?

Some drivers ask what punishment they face for not having a compulsory motor liability insurance policy, in addition to a fine. There is no need to worry: the additional measure in the form of evacuation of the vehicle to an impound lot is not provided for by law. As we wrote above, the only situation in which a car can be seized is if the driver is not included in the insurance, and none of the persons authorized to drive this car are nearby (or are not arriving at the stop in the near future). This decision is logical, because traffic police officers cannot allow a person who is not included in the policy to continue driving: this means that it is necessary to transport the car to the parking lot until the circumstances are clarified and before the owner shows up.

Another sanction that is feared “for old times’ sake” is the removal of registration numbers (tantamount to a ban on the operation of the vehicle). In fact, this measure was canceled back in 2014, that is, neither in 2018 nor in 2021 you will face such a punishment.

Fined? You can drive further. But don't be surprised if you get stopped and fined again on the same day.

​Fine for expired insurance in 2021

For several years now, the law has included a clause to encourage drivers who pay their fines on time. Next year the situation will not change and everyone will receive a “discount” if the fine is paid within 20 days from the date of violation.

It turns out that the driver must pay 400 rubles for the absence of an insurance policy, and 250 rubles for typos or expired validity.

With the development of technology, more and more new devices for catching violators are appearing in government agencies. The fine for not having a compulsory motor liability insurance policy has not been spared by the innovations. In 2021, they began to use stationary cameras that can detect the absence of a vehicle insurance contract. Such cameras first appeared in the Moscow region. and in the capital itself.

Government authorities promised to install the “new product” in different regions of the country next year. This will allow not only traffic police officers to issue a protocol for violations, but also to send fines by mail.

The surest way to avoid a fine for lack of insurance is to take out MTPL. The policy will not only help you feel calmer during an inspection by an inspector, but also insures the driver’s liability in the event of an accident.

On the Internet you can find an online OSAGO calculator, where you can find out all the rates for issuing a policy. Everyone has access to calculations for more than 15 companies with all established coefficients for 2021.

According to the latest data, penalties for driving without insurance in 2021 begin to apply only from the beginning of March. Until this day, the traffic police should have excluded erroneous data from the database. Since the amount of the penalty is significant, errors and inaccuracies can lead to the wrongful imposition of punishment and subsequent legal proceedings.

Driving a vehicle without a policy and without an owner will result in a fine of 500 rubles and possible confiscation of the vehicle.

If a violation is detected, traffic police inspectors draw up a special protocol. Then the case is transferred to the court, where the amount of the fine is determined.

Due to the fact that citizens of the Russian Federation often deliberately refuse to take out this type of insurance due to low compensation payments, as well as the increasing incidence of fraud and abuse in this area, new legislation is now considering tightening the regulation of this situation in the state. In connection with this, the union of auto insurers introduced a bill on fines for driving without insurance in 2021 to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, which will consider the adoption of the following measures:

1. Changes in the rules for issuing electronic policies.
2. The punishment for driving without insurance will no longer be symbolic. Fines can reach the approximate cost of registration of the compulsory motor liability insurance itself, that is, they will amount to at least 8,000 rubles.
3. The traffic police may obtain the right to place a car without insurance in a parking lot at the expense of the owner.

The tightening of penalties is a consequence of the fact that prices for MTPL insurance have become higher and the insurance market has been occupied by companies issuing fake policies, and drivers, not wanting to be deceived, simply do not issue an insurance document. Therefore, the state believes that the decision to increase fines by 10 times is completely justified.

A proposal is being developed to increase the cost of this insurance for citizens who constantly violate traffic rules. It is proposed to introduce the following increasing coefficients: 2.06 or more for drivers who violated traffic rules more than 10 times during the year, and triple the cost of compulsory motor insurance for 35 violations or more. It is planned that such changes will come into force in January 2021.

Experts say that registration of compulsory motor liability insurance is very important, because, in the event of a possible accident, it will be able to exempt the driver from paying any financial compensation, provided that he was the culprit. Of course, there are limits - 400 thousand rubles for damage to property, 500 thousand for human health. If the amount of compensation exceeds these limits, the driver must pay the balance himself. It is important to remember that liability lies with the insurer only if a vehicle with a policy was involved in the accident, and the driver named in the insurance contract was driving.

Without exaggeration, OSAGO can be called a mandatory document that a driver in the Russian Federation must have, since it is prescribed at the state level. Refusal to use this policy risks you with increased fines and, again, mandatory registration of insurance after receiving a monetary penalty. Because of this fact, there is now intense propaganda in society for obtaining a policy, because you can incur considerable responsibility. The document of the so-called auto citizen provides a guarantee for the payment of all damage compensation to third parties by the insurance company. Therefore, it is better to ensure yourself complete safety on the road and take out insurance.

Despite the need for the driver to have car insurance at all times, the law provides for some relaxations.

A 10-day period of driving without a MTPL document is allowed. A week and a half is given to the car owner after purchasing a vehicle to re-register the car: registration, registration of vehicle registration certificate and insurance.

Video recording: can cameras record the absence of an MTPL policy?

For a couple of years now, rumors have been circulating on the Internet that cameras on the roads record the driver’s lack of insurance, and you can get a fine even without communicating with a traffic police officer.

In 2021, not a single report of such a case appeared, and only in 2021 (from March 1) a fine for the lack of a policy began to be issued automatically. So now not only those who deliberately did not buy insurance are under attack, but also those who inadvertently purchased an invalid document from scammers.

Liability measures for failure to present an insurance policy

For many years, traffic police officers and drivers have argued over the issue of what size of fine is provided if, during an inspection, it turns out that the insurance policy was forgotten at home and cannot be presented to the inspector.

These disputes were provoked by the fact that the Code of Administrative Offenses contains 2 articles devoted to this violation. If Article 12.3 refers to the fact that the driver does not have mandatory documents with him, including compulsory motor liability insurance, then Article 12.37 provides for the liability of drivers who have expired insurance or do not have a policy at all.

Since the fine amounts under these articles differed significantly, the traffic police officers sought to apply the maximum amount under Art. 12.37 (800 rubles), and the drivers insisted on the minimum tariff under Article 12.3 (100 rubles). Numerous complaints have been written and countless investigations have been conducted.

The modern edition of the Code of Administrative Offenses has practically eliminated all discrepancies, since if there is no policy in the car or there is a document with an expired validity period, the same fine of 500 rubles is provided. If the policy was not purchased at all, then the fine is 800 rubles. The difference between the fines is not too significant, so there are much more opportunities to resolve the case peacefully and by common agreement.

New fines for lack of insurance - a myth?

Increasing the fine for driving without a policy has been discussed for quite some time. Some owners do not know exactly what fine they can be given without a valid policy, because they read on the Internet about an increase in the amount to 5,000 rubles.

Such a bill has indeed already been prepared, but it has not yet been considered in the State Duma. The review may take a lot of time, which means that you won’t face a new fine without insurance yet: count on the same 500-800 rubles. But it is better, of course, not to neglect the purchase of an insurance policy and its renewal: do not forget about the risk of getting into an accident and parting with a substantial amount due to your carelessness.

How will driving without a compulsory motor liability insurance policy end for the person responsible for the accident?

Taking out insurance is the responsibility of any driver, which is stated in Federal Law No. 40 of April 25, 2002. If you are the culprit of an accident and you do not have a valid MTPL policy, prepare for the following consequences:

• You will need to pay for the damage yourself (Article 1064 of the Civil Code)
• a fine for lack of insurance is also inevitable, because now the violation is known to the traffic police.

If the victim does not have an MTPL policy, it will cost only a fine of 800 rubles. But are you one hundred percent sure that under no circumstances can you cause an accident?

When will they start recording?

This is not yet known. The fact is that the material and technical base for the possibility of issuing orders for driving without insurance is already practically working; in fact, not a single camera on the roads checks the presence of a compulsory motor liability insurance agreement.

To understand that there is currently no answer to this question, let's trace the chronology of events and find out how many times the launch was planned but postponed.

• The very first news about the start of video recording for driving without compulsory motor insurance appeared at the end of 2015 - then it was still an initiative with the task of working out the technical part.
• In 2021, “fake news” began to circulate on the Internet in the form of the latest news that cameras began to fine drivers for not having compulsory motor insurance. This turned out to be untrue.
• The same publications circulated on the Internet until 2021 - with a clearly visible change in the beginning of the recording of driving without insurance, and then information that verification of the availability of the policy was postponed.
• Meanwhile, at the same time, the Russian Union of Auto Insurers (RUA) began to assert that the database with vehicle registration numbers is ready to determine the absence of compulsory motor liability insurance. But the traffic police were not ready yet.
• Not long ago, the RSA again threatened to soon begin recording this violation with cameras.
• But one day such auto-fixing was launched in test mode - only the car owners did not receive fines, but simply notifications about the lack of insurance. Thus, the system was tested and insured against the consequences of errors, in fact, by the absence of such consequences, because no punishments were imposed.
• As of May 27, 2021, the system is still being prepared for launch, and it is planned that this will happen in Moscow.