7.737 — DRIVING WITHOUT VALID REGISTRATION WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE
Violations of "Statute 7.737" results in an Infraction and a fine of $1,500 or a "Fix-It Ticket" may be applied to the defendant to allow other law enforcement officers to be aware of a warning has been submitted. The second offense could result in a impound of the vehicle until issue is addressed.
(a) Definitions
Driving without valid registration without knowledge refers to operating a vehicle on public roads when the vehicle’s registration is expired, canceled, or otherwise invalid, and the driver is unaware of the status of the registration.
(b) Elements
To establish the offense of driving without valid registration without knowledge, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt the following elements:
The defendant was driving a vehicle on public roads.
The vehicle’s registration was invalid, expired, or canceled.
The defendant did not know and could not reasonably have known that the vehicle’s registration was invalid.
(c) Defenses
Defenses against a charge of driving without valid registration without knowledge may include:
The defendant had not received notice of the expiration or invalidation of the vehicle’s registration.
The defendant was in the process of renewing the registration, but the renewal was not processed or completed at the time of the traffic stop.
The defendant had purchased the vehicle recently and was not yet aware that the registration was not valid.
(d) Aggravating Factors
The court may consider the following aggravating factors when determining the severity of the offense:
The defendant had previously been warned or cited for a similar issue with vehicle registration.
The vehicle was involved in a traffic incident or caused an accident while being driven without valid registration.
The defendant failed to take reasonable steps to verify the vehicle’s registration status, such as checking with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The defendant was operating a commercial vehicle without valid registration.
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