In Ohio driving without a license and without insurance are fairly serious offenses. Failure to control is considered a minor misdemeanor.

According to Ohio Revised Code section 4510.12 subsection (A)(1) No person, except those expressly exempted under sections 4507.03, 4507.04, and 4507.05 of the Revised Code, shall operate any motor vehicle upon a public road or highway or any public or private property used by the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking in this state unless the person has a valid driver’s license issued under Chapter 4507 of the Revised Code or a commercial driver’s license issued under Chapter 4506 of the Revised Code.

Subsection (B) goes on to say that whoever violates this section is guilty of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license and shall be punished as follows:

(1) If the trier of fact finds that the offender never has held a valid driver’s or commercial driver’s license issued by this state or any other jurisdiction, the offense is a misdemeanor of the first degree. A misdemeanor of the first degree in Ohio normally comes with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or not more than 180 days imprisonment.

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) notes on their offense and conviction list that a conviction of 4510.12(A) comes with 2 points on the driving record that will be started for you (even if you do not have a license).

Section 4509.101 of the Ohio Revised Code prohibits an individual from operating a motor vehicle in Ohio without maintaining proof of FR continuously throughout the registration period with respect to that vehicle, or, in the case of a driver who is not the owner, with respect to that driver's operation of that vehicle.

If someone receives a traffic ticket indicating that proof of FR was not produced, you must submit proof to the traffic violations bureau along with payment of a fine and costs for the traffic citation. If instead you are required to appear in court you must submit proof of FR to the court.

Failure to provide proof of financial responsibility in OH will result in the following civil penalties by the Register of Motor Vehicles:

• Lose driving privileges for a minimum of 90 days and up to 2 years;
• License plates and vehicle registration suspension;
• License plate reinstatement fees of $125 for first violation;
• Require to file with the OH BMV a SR-22 or bond to continuously maintain proof of financial responsibility for a minimum of 3 years up to 5 years from the date of the suspension the driver's license;
• Vehicle immobilization and confiscation of plates for 30 to 60 days if the driver violates the suspension.

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) notes that driving and registration privileges cannot be restored until all requirements of the suspension have been met.

As for the failure to control from what we have read it can be written up either under the Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.202 or as a local Ordinance.

ORC 4511.202 is titled Operating vehicle without reasonable control and states:
(A) No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar on any street, highway, or property open to the public for vehicular traffic without being in reasonable control of the vehicle, trolley, or streetcar.

(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of operating a motor vehicle without being in control of it, a minor misdemeanor.

As for an example of it being in a Municipal Code, in Hubbard, Ohio they can issue tickets under 331.34 of their Codified Ordinances for Failure to Control. Here it states:

(a) No person shall operate a vehicle without exercising reasonable and ordinary control over such vehicle.

(b) No person shall operate a vehicle in a weaving or zigzag course unless such irregular course is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law.

(c) No person shall operate a vehicle without giving his full time and attention to the operation of such vehicle.

(d) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on a first offense; on a second offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree; on each subsequent offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

Either offense Failure to Control or Failure to have Reasonable Control both come with 2 points on your OH driving record and are both minor misdemeanors. In Ohio it is up to each court to establish a fine schedule that shall list the fine for each minor misdemeanor, and state the court costs. The fine schedule shall be prominently posted in the place where minor misdemeanor fines are paid so your friend will have to call the court to get the fine amount.

As you can see your friend has a lot of serious fines and fees and possibly imprisonment as penalties he could face in court. He can contact the court listed on his citations to find out more about his possibilities and what to expect in court when he has to show up to respond to these charges.

If your friend is able to get an Ohio driver's license than he can click here to get auto insurance quotes online.