In New Jersey, driving without insurance or not being able to show proof of auto insurance when requested is a serious offense with harsh penalties. A citation for this violation of the New Jersey law may result in fines, community service, license suspension and surcharges according to the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission.

New Jersey Statutes Annotated (NJSA) 39:6B-1 notes under subsection (a) that every owner or registered owner of a motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this State shall maintain motor vehicle liability insurance coverage, under provisions approved by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, insuring against loss resulting from liability imposed by law for bodily injury, death and property damage sustained by any person arising out of the ownership, maintenance, operation or use of a motor vehicle. The statute goes on to explain what minimum coverages are needed in NJ.

NJSA 39:6B-2 gives the penalties and in full it states:

Any owner or registrant of a motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this State who operates or causes to be operated a motor vehicle upon any public road or highway in this State without motor vehicle liability insurance coverage required by this act, and any operator who operates or causes a motor vehicle to be operated and who knows or should know from the attendant circumstances that the motor vehicle is without motor vehicle liability insurance coverage required by this act shall be subject, for the first offense, to a fine of not less than $300 nor more than $1,000 and a period of community service to be determined by the court, and shall forthwith forfeit his right to operate a motor vehicle over the highways of this State for a period of one year from the date of conviction. Upon subsequent conviction, he shall be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and shall be subject to imprisonment for a term of 14 days and shall be ordered by the court to perform community service for a period of 30 days, which shall be of such form and on such terms as the court shall deem appropriate under the circumstances, and shall forfeit his right to operate a motor vehicle for a period of two years from the date of his conviction, and, after the expiration of said period, he may make application to the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles for a license to operate a motor vehicle, which application may be granted at the discretion of the director. The director's discretion shall be based upon an assessment of the likelihood that the individual will operate or cause a motor vehicle to be operated in the future without the insurance coverage required by this act. A complaint for violation of this act may be made to a municipal court at any time within six months after the date of the alleged offense.

Failure to produce at the time of trial an insurance identification card or an insurance policy which was in force for the time of operation for which the offense is charged creates a rebuttable presumption that the person was uninsured when charged with a violation of this section.

In summary this says that a first offense for driving without Liability insurance includes a fine of at least $300 and up to $1000, community service for a length of time determined by the court and a driver's license suspension of 1 year. Not mentioned here but elsewhere it notes there are court costs and fees that are required to be paid as well as the penalties listed above, such as DMV surcharges of $250 for 3 years.

A second offense comes with penalties of a fine up to $5000, a mandatory jail sentence of 14 days, 30 days community service and a license suspension for 2 years or more.

So the amount your ticket for driving without insurance in New Jersey should be between $300 and $1000 if it is a first offense and up to $5000 if a second or subsequent offense plus other non monetary penalties such as losing your license for a period of time.

To get New Jersey auto insurance so that you are not caught and penalized for being uninsured, click here.