“Driving Unlicensed (car Accident)”

First of all, sorry if im posting in the wrong area, and second of all this accident occurred in manitoba with a manitoba covered insurance.

I recently rear ended a lady in my brothers truck (insured) but I did not know my license had expired. (reason for this below)

1) 1.5 years ago I went into an office to get a new picture taken for my license, the lady at this broker firm, told me "you no longer have to come here every year as we now auto renew your license).

2) When i found out i had no license after calling MPI (manitoba public insurance) to as why the vehicle is not getting fixed, they told me the person that crashed did not have a valid license ( immediately i asked "she did not have a license") but it was me that didnt have the license.

my question is.. will i be at fault for this.. i even called back the brokerage firm that told me they atuo renew and when i asked they said "yes we auto renew" when i asked okay what does that mean, does it mean i dont have to pay every year in the office" she said "no it means you dont have to come get a photo taken every eyar" .. which is weird cuz u never had to do that.

will I be held liable to pay for all damages out my own pocked (probably 20k +) or can i fight it if they do try since my license was never revoked or suspended due to bad driving or traffic tickets etc.

I have a meeting with mpi in 5 days im just so stressed would like to get some clarification and my options, as im a student, i already have alot of debt piled up, and i wa smis guided by the brokerage firm when she told me id be auto renewed.

thank you.

D.V

I don't know how it works in Manitoba, maybe somebody else here has some experience. I'm confused between the "broker" (who in Ontario would just sell you insurance), vs. the "license" which in Ontario is dealt with through the government. Perhaps you could explain more?

whaddyaknow wrote:I don't know how it works in Manitoba, maybe somebody else here has some experience. I'm confused between the "broker" (who in Ontario would just sell you insurance), vs. the "license" which in Ontario is dealt with through the government. Perhaps you could explain more?

hi, thanks for the reply.. by broker i mean there are many places that i guess work on behalf of mpi.. I had to go there to renew my license, and get a new photo taken.

Once i took the photo the lady misguided me when she said now you can get your licensed auto renewed instead of coming back every year" i even signed some papers that had to do with it. But when i called them now i asked do you guys auto renew licenses she said yes we do..so does that mean i dont have to pay every year you do it for me , shes like no u just dont have to come get ur photo taken every year.. ( weird bcuz you dont have to do this anyway)

This happens from time to time in Ontario.

By that I mean the driver unknowing driving without a valid license, whether by days or even hours.

The provider would deny coverage and the driver has no other choice but to take them to court.

bend wrote:This happens from time to time in Ontario.

By that I mean the driver unknowing driving without a valid license, whether by days or even hours.

The provider would deny coverage and the driver has no other choice but to take them to court.

I really hope Mpi lets me off this one time, we will see I guess.

From the Manitoba site:

About the renewal process

With our easy and convenient five-year licences and policies, youll only need to visit an Autopac agent once every five years, unless you want to change or cancel your policy between renewals.

However, you still pay for your drivers licence and vehicle insurance every year. In years between renewals (reassessment years), you will receive an annual statement of account, telling you what you owe.

In your reassessment years, you can choose to pay:

online with VISA or MasterCard (see list of qualifying payments)

online or by telephone through your financial institution (you'll need your customer number)

in person with cash, cheque , debit, VISA or MasterCard wherever Autopac is sold

Remember, you must visit an Autopac agent to change or cancel your drivers licence or vehicle insurance. It will not automatically lapse after one year. It will remain in effect and you will be charged for it.

So you should have got a notice in the mail saying you owed money. Did you keep your address updated ?

argyll wrote:From the Manitoba site:

About the renewal process

With our easy and convenient five-year licences and policies, youll only need to visit an Autopac agent once every five years, unless you want to change or cancel your policy between renewals.

However, you still pay for your drivers licence and vehicle insurance every year. In years between renewals (reassessment years), you will receive an annual statement of account, telling you what you owe.

In your reassessment years, you can choose to pay:

online with VISA or MasterCard (see list of qualifying payments)

online or by telephone through your financial institution (you'll need your customer number)

in person with cash, cheque , debit, VISA or MasterCard wherever Autopac is sold

Remember, you must visit an Autopac agent to change or cancel your drivers licence or vehicle insurance. It will not automatically lapse after one year. It will remain in effect and you will be charged for it.

So you should have got a notice in the mail saying you owed money. Did you keep your address updated ?

This is not what i was told, and my mailbox has been broken into in my apartment along with many other peoples mailboxes, more than on one occasion, i could of easily missed this.

personally,

all important cards, docs, which need renewing, I have on a sheet of paper near my calendar, when they are due, when they are expiring

I know "exactly" when to get them and or chase,

if a piece of ID is important enough to stop you getting, medical treatment , driving legally, then it's important enough for you to make sure you have it

and know about it