46.2-707 - Operating uninsured motor vehicle without payment of fee; verification of insurance; false evidence of insurance.
§ 46.2-707. Operating uninsured motor vehicle without payment of fee;verification of insurance; false evidence of insurance.
Any person who owns an uninsured motor vehicle (i) licensed in theCommonwealth, (ii) subject to registration in the Commonwealth, or (iii)displaying temporary license plates provided for in § 46.2-1558 who operatesor permits the operation of that motor vehicle without first having paid tothe Commissioner the uninsured motor vehicle fee required by § 46.2-706, tobe disposed of as provided by § 46.2-710, shall be guilty of a Class 3misdemeanor.
Any person who is the operator of such an uninsured motor vehicle and not thetitled owner, who knows that the required fee has not been paid to theCommissioner, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
The Commissioner or his duly authorized agent, having reason to believe thata motor vehicle is being operated or has been operated on any specified date,may require the owner of such motor vehicle to verify insurance in a methodprescribed by the Commissioner as provided for by § 46.2-706. The refusal orneglect of the owner who has not, prior to the date of operation, paid theuninsured motor vehicle fee required by § 46.2-706 as to such motor vehicle,to provide such verification shall be prima facie evidence that the motorvehicle was an uninsured motor vehicle at the time of such operation.
Any person who falsely verifies insurance to the Commissioner or gives falseevidence that a motor vehicle sought to be registered is an insured motorvehicle, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
However, the foregoing portions of this section shall not be applicable if itis established that the owner had good cause to believe and did believe thatsuch motor vehicle was an insured motor vehicle, in which event theprovisions of § 46.2-609 shall be applicable.
Any person who owns an uninsured motor vehicle (i) licensed in theCommonwealth, (ii) subject to registration in the Commonwealth, or (iii)displaying temporary license plates provided for in § 46.2-1558, and who hasnot paid the uninsured motor vehicle fee required by § 46.2-706, shallimmediately surrender the vehicle's license plates to the Department. Anyperson who fails to immediately surrender his vehicle's license plates shallbe guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Abstracts of records of conviction, as defined in this title, of anyviolation of any of the provisions of this section shall be forwarded to theCommissioner as prescribed by § 46.2-383.
The Commissioner shall suspend the driver's license and all registrationcertificates and license plates of any titled owner of an uninsured motorvehicle upon receiving a record of his conviction of a violation of anyprovisions of this section, and he shall not thereafter reissue the driver'slicense and the registration certificates and license plates issued in thename of such person until such person pays the fee applicable to theregistration of an uninsured motor vehicle as prescribed in § 46.2-706 andfurnishes proof of future financial responsibility as prescribed by Article15 (§ 46.2-435 et seq.) of Chapter 3 of this title. However, when three yearshave elapsed from the date of the suspension herein required, theCommissioner may relieve such person of the requirement of furnishing proofof future financial responsibility. When such suspension results from aconviction for presenting or causing to be presented to the Commissionerfalse verification as to whether a motor vehicle is an insured motor vehicleor false evidence that any motor vehicle sought to be registered is insured,then the Commissioner shall not thereafter reissue the driver's license andthe registration certificates and license plates issued in the name of suchperson so convicted for a period of 180 days from the date of such order ofsuspension, and only then when all other provisions of law have been compliedwith by such person.
The Commissioner shall suspend the driver's license of any person who is theoperator but not the titled owner of a motor vehicle upon receiving a recordof his conviction of a violation of any provisions of this section and heshall not thereafter reissue the driver's license until thirty days from thedate of such order of suspension.
(1958, c. 407, § 46.1-167.3; 1960, c. 188; 1966, cc. 181, 568; 1972, c. 552;1973, c. 25; 1977, c. 196; 1978, c. 605; 1984, cc. 399, 780; 1986, c. 527;1989, c. 727; 1996, cc. 474, 489.)