The Importance of Transferring Automobiles
In Article 7 of the Transit Law, we find that in all transit-related acts, the registered owner will be the responsible civil party of consequences derived from the use, manipulation, possession or holding of the vehicle, even when he is not the driver of the vehicle and the responsible of the act will not be identified by the transit process; unless the registered owner can demonstrate having sold the automobile, not being effective the bill of sale that is usually used from day to day.
So we can note here, that by loaning the vehicle the owner assumes the risk, the owner of the autmobile assumes civil responsibility, (understanding as “owner” he who appears as the owner in the Public Registry) thereby if as the result of a collision, there is damage, this damage can be charged to the owner of the vehicle and can impose a lien against his property, whether it be a salary, his house, other automobiles, etc. From the point of view of criminal law, he can’t be prosecuted, however civilly, it can cause him serious economic damage.