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Dallas Fort Worth | Injury Attorney | Uninsured Driver Penalty | Texas

Posted on May 04, 2010

The 2009 legislative session increased the repercussions for driving without insurance. As I have written about before, uninsured drivers are a major problem in Texas. I am a big proponent of loading up on uninsured motorist's coverage. After all, you must protect yourself! laws went into effect on September 1.

HB 2012 increases the penalty for driving with a suspended license and without insurance to a Class B Misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $2,000 and a maximum of 180 days in jail. If someone drives with both a suspended license and without insurance and causes an accident in which someone else is seriously injured or dies, the penalty increases to a Class A Misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $4000 and up to one year in jail.

HB 2730 set new standards for getting a driver's license in some cases. A new Texas resident now has 90 days instead of 30 days to secure a new license; however, if a person has not established a residence in Texas yet, they cannot get a driver's license or an ID card.