Legal Question in Traffic Law in Washington

Re: traffic

Enter a plea of not guilty and use the time before your next hearing to reinstate your driving privilege. It is not uncommon for a prosecutor to amend a charge of driving while license suspended to the infraction of No License On Person with a small fine and/or court costs.

Even if you later changed your plea to guilty, having your license in hand typically results in lower penalties, and likely only a monetary penalty.

Check with the owner of the vehicle for proof of insurance in effect on the violation date. There are issues related to whether you would actually be covered, even with permission to operate the vehicle, but the court may not "inquire" that far.

Note that obtaining insurance after the fact typically results in a significant reduction ofthe fine. It is often less expensive than the fine for not having insurance.