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Maine Car Insurance

Written by Michele Griffin. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/11/2012

The amounts of coverage required for Maine car insurance are some of the highest in the nation.

maine car insurance 300x199 Maine Car Insurance

Just like a lighthouse, Maine car insurance requirements sit high above what other states require.

The state of Maine has very high insurance requirements for its drivers. Most states only require 2 coverages (bodily injury and property damage liability) for their drivers to be able to drive. Maine on the other hand requires 5 separate coverages to be purchased and is among the few states that have this many coverage requirements.

On top of the number of coverages required, they also have some of the highest liability limit requirements in the nation.

Mandatory Maine Car Insurance Liability Coverage

Liability coverage is mandatory in almost all of the states across the nation, but Maine car insurance is at the top of the list as far as the high amounts required for bodily injury liability coverage. While most states usually require 25/50 limits for their bodily injury coverage, Maine requires that their drivers carry 50/100.

What exactly does 50/100 mean? It means that you have to carry no less than $50,000 in coverage for the medical bills that another person may have after you injure them in a car accident that is your fault. If there are two or more people injured in an accident that you are at fault for, you have to have $100,000 in coverage on your insurance to pay for all of the medical bills together. These limits are the minimum you are allowed to buy, but are the maximum your insurance company will pay if an accident does happen.

The requirements for property damage liability coverage on a Maine car insurance policy are really no more or less than most other states require. The minimum limit that you can buy for this coverage is $25,000 and it covers the damages you do with your vehicle, to property you do not own.

Mandatory Maine Car Insurance UM/UIM Coverage

UM/UIM stands for uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist coverage. These coverages protect you from other drivers that flee the scene of an accident, don’t have insurance or don’t have enough insurance. It only pays for the expenses that result from injuries and does not cover the damages that may be done to your vehicle.

You can have no less than 50/100 for your UM/UIM limits, just like with the bodily injury liability coverage. If you have more than 50/100 for your bodily injury liability coverage, your UM/UIM has to be the same. There is a form you can sign with your agent though, that will allow you to carry lower limits than your bodily injury liability limits; but the UM/UIM coverage still cannot fall below 50/100.

Mandatory Maine Car Insurance MedPay Coverage

MedPay (Medical Payments) coverage is for expenses that arise from injuries you received from a car accident. It is available for you to use regardless of who is found to be at fault for the accident you were in.

With MedPay you are required to carry no less than $2000 in this coverage on your Maine car insurance policy.

 

Mississippi Car Insurance

Written by Todd Clay. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/01/2012

Mississippi car insurance is just one way to provide proof of financial responsibility to avoid a $1000 fine.

mississippi car insurance Mississippi Car Insurance

It's best to just follow the insurance laws in Mississippi before you find yourself up the river with no steamboat.

The state of Mississippi requires a decent amount of liability insurance for its drivers, but just the liability insurance. They don’t require uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist or personal injury protection like other states do. Meaning that purchasing the minimum required Mississippi car insurance shouldn’t be as expensive as it could be if all of the other coverages were required as well.

You do have two options if you still don’t want to purchase the required Mississippi car insurance though. One, you can opt for an alternative form of financial responsibility. Two, you can pay the $1000 fine for driving without car insurance and walk during the year your driver’s license will be suspended.

Required Mississippi Car Insurance

Mississippi requires that all of its drivers carry liability insurance to make sure that they are protected from each other. A driver in this state cannot legally drive without purchasing the minimum Mississippi car insurance of 25/50/25 in liability coverage. For those that don’t speak the language of insurance this means:

• $25,000 in coverage for the medical bills of a single person that you injure or kill in an accident.

• $50,000 in coverage for ALL medical bills that may result from an accident you are responsible for, where you injure two or more people.

• $25,000 in coverage to pay for the damages to other people’s property that resulted from a car accident you caused.

Other Proof that is Not Mississippi Car Insurance

Mississippi does allow its drivers to show proof that they can pay for damages from a car accident beyond just purchasing Mississippi car insurance. There are two alternatives allowed:

• A cash or security deposit of $100,000

• A bond posted for $100,000

If you don’t have that type or cash lying around, I would suggest that you should just purchase the required Mississippi car insurance. In the long run, the insurance premium for Mississippi car insurance will probably be cheaper anyway. If you think about it, if you are paying $1000 a year for insurance, it will take you 100 years to match what is required for the alternatives.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t know too many people that drive for 100 years.

Penalties for No Mississippi Car Insurance

The state of Mississippi is a real stickler that you not only carry Mississippi car insurance, but that you also have proof of it in your vehicle at all times. If you are pulled over and cannot provide this proof, you will be fined $1000 and have you driver’s license suspended for a year.

When you go to court for this particular violation, if you can provide proof that you now have Mississippi car insurance the fine will be dropped to $100 and your driver’s license will be reinstated. If you can provide proof that you had car insurance on the date you were given the violation, your driver’s license will be reinstated and all fines will be dropped.

Is there a lesson to be learned from this? Yes, always carry proof of Mississippi car insurance.

Washington Car Insurance

Written by Michele Griffin. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/01/2012

If you were wondering, no, you don’t have to have Washington car insurance on your horseless carriage.

washington car insurance1 Washington Car Insurance

Not every motorized vehicle has to be insured in the state of Washington.

To clarify, the Washington car insurance talked about in this particular post is for Washington State, not Washington D.C. Now that we have that cleared up and our readers in the state of Washington are smiling in appreciation, let’s get to the information.

Alternatives to Washington Car Insurance

You don’t have to purchase Washington car insurance in order to drive; the state does allow you to choose other forms of financial responsibility. They will also accept:

• A certificate of deposit

• A liability bond

• Self-insurance

Self-insurance is only for vehicle owners that own 26 or more vehicles; which doesn’t pertain to most of our readers.

A certificate of deposit can be a replacement for Washington car insurance as long as it is for no less than $60,000. The deposit has to be made into a bank account for the state of Washington or with the State Treasurer. If you are ever asked for proof of insurance, you have to be able to provide proof of this certificate of deposit. The proof has to have the name of the driver covered for it and also the certificate number that was issued to you by the State Treasurer.

The liability bond is very similar to the certificate of deposit in that it also must be for no less than $60,000. It has to be filed by a surety bond company that is authorized to conduct business in Washington. Again, you have to be prepared to show proof of this liability bond if asked for proof of insurance. The proof must have the name of the company that issued the bond, the bond number and the name of the driver covered under the bond.

Washington Car Insurance Limits

While having alternatives to Washington car insurance is nice, most people just purchase the required car insurance. Washington car insurance requires that the drivers in the state purchase no less than $10,000 in property damage coverage.

Bodily injury liability coverage also has to be purchased with the property damage liability coverage. The coverage can be no less than $25,000 for the medical expenses of one person and $50, 000 for all medical expenses that may result from two or more people being injured.

Vehicles that Don’t Have to Have Washington Car Insurance

Some motorized vehicles are not required to carry Washington car insurance. They include:

• Motor-driven cycles

• Mopeds

• Motorcycles

• Horseless carriages over 40 years old

Yes, you read that last one correctly. So, if you were worried that you wouldn’t be able to find adequate car insurance for your horseless carriage, you can sleep peacefully now.

For the motorcycles, I know you don’t have to carry insurance, but I would seriously think hard before riding off into the sunset on your bike without this protection. There are inexpensive Washington car insurance policies for motorcycles that your agent can help you with; to protect both you and your bike on the road.

West Virginia Car Insurance

Written by Michele Griffin. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/01/2012

Keeping your West Virginia car insurance active is much cheaper than the fees and fines for getting caught without it.

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Keeping your West Virginia car insurance active will give you nothing to worry about if chosen for a random insurance verification.

West Virginia’s car insurance requirements only require that you carry liability coverage to be able to drive. The liability coverage is meant to make sure that you can pay for any injuries or damages you may cause to another party. This not only protects other drivers from accidents that they are not at fault for, but it also protects you financially.

Without having liability coverage, you will be responsible to pay for all of the costs associated with the accident. Initially the other party’s insurance company may pay for a good portion of it, but they will come after you to get their money back. This can lead to lawsuits, collection agencies contacting you and even bankruptcy if you cannot pay.

The Required West Virginia Car Insurance

The minimum liability coverage that you are allowed to purchase and still drive legally is:

• $20,000 in coverage for injuries (or death) you may inflict on another person with your vehicle.

• $40,000 in coverage for all of the injuries in a single car accident that you are at fault for. This coverage is for when there are two or more people injured and is the most that your insurance company would pay out for medical expenses.

• $10,000 in coverage for damages you do with your vehicle to property that you do not own. This is not just limited to other vehicles you may hit; but also traffic signs, houses, fences, etc.

Random West Virginia Car Insurance Checks

Proof of West Virginia car insurance is required whenever you are asked for it by a police officer, register your vehicle or are sent a random insurance check letter by the DMV. When you receive this letter, you are required to return it with proof of the insurance coverage that you have. Your letter will have more details as to the exact proof they need and how you can return it.

If you ignore this letter, forget about the letter, or do not have insurance; you will find your driver’s license and vehicle’s registration suspended.

Reinstatement of Privileges after No West Virginia Car Insurance

Once you have lost your driving privileges (license and registration), to get them back you have to wait and pay. Waiting consists of 30 days before you can get your driver’s license back and 90 days if you are caught without insurance a second time. You also have to wait until you get car insurance back in force.

Now, for the fees you will owe to reinstate everything. Please keep in mind these are just reinstatement fees, this is not everything you will be required to pay as there are other fees and fines involved for driving without West Virginia car insurance.

First, to reinstate you vehicle registration you will be required to pay a $100 fee, plus another $50 if the DMV had to send a state police secure order on your plates. Second, getting back your driver’s license will require another $50 to reinstate.

Basically, you have just wasted almost $200 because you thought you would save money by not paying for the mandatory West Virginia car insurance that you have to buy now anyway to be able to drive again.

 

Michigan Car Insurance

Written by Todd Clay. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/01/2012

Michigan car insurance is in place to protect mainly you.

michigan car insurance Michigan Car Insurance

Michigan tries to simplify insurance through no-fault laws.

Michigan car insurance requirements are based on Michigan being a no-fault state. This means that you are required to carry insurance more to protect you in the event you are injured in an accident and not the other party. It also means that you will have coverage to pay for medical bills regardless of who caused the accident.

Required Michigan Car Insurance

Michigan car insurance has three required coverages that you must purchase to be able to drive and register your vehicle in the state.

• Personal Injury Protection

• Property Protection

• Residual Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability Insurance

The personal injury protection coverage pays for your medical expenses in the event that you are injured in an accident. It also provides coverage for a long list of other expenses that you may have, including lost wages.

Property protection pays for damages you may create with your vehicle, to property that is not yours. It provides up to $1 million in coverage and covers everything except damages you may cause to another person’s vehicle, unless that vehicle is parked.

Residual BI/PD Michigan Car Insurance

Residual bodily injury and property damage liability insurance may seem odd if people pay for their own medical expenses and damages to their vehicles. This residual coverage is really a backup insurance in the event of extreme circumstances, as it only kicks in under very specific events.

The minimum you are allowed to carry for this coverage is 20/40/10 and it is only used when you are being sued for one of the allowable events under Michigan car insurance law.

Few Lawsuits allowed Under Michigan Car Insurance

With how Michigan car insurance is set up in the state, drivers are not allowed to sue each other. All medical bills are taken care of through your own car insurance; but as we talked about above, there are a few circumstances that lawsuits are allowed.

These lawsuit allowable events are the events that would fall under your residual BI/PD coverage:

• You can be sued up to $500 if you are 50% or more at fault for an accident and the other person has damage to their car that is not covered by insurance.

• You get into an accident outside of Michigan.

• You have an accident with a driver that is not a Michigan resident and the accident happened in Michigan.

• You kill or seriously injure another person with your vehicle.

Penalties for not Having Michigan Car Insurance

Michigan car insurance is not optional and comes with stiff penalties for not having it. If you are caught without the required car insurance coverage in Michigan you will be charged with a misdemeanor. You will also be fined up to $500 or get to spend a year in jail or even be penalized with both.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as there may be other fines and fees that you may be subject to after the initial penalties for driving without Michigan car insurance. You can also have your license suspended and not be allowed to renew your vehicle registration without purchasing a pre-paid Michigan car insurance policy that cannot be cancelled.

Car Insurance Guidebook Unravels the Car Insurance Mystery

Unless you work in the car insurance industry, the topic is probably a mystery to you. The words deductible, comprehensive, collision, liability, premium, loss of use and bodily injury are all gibberish when they reach your ears.

Unfortunately, insurance is something that you are required to have by law if you want to drive. Because of how confusing it is many people go around in almost an insurance daze while they get car insurance quotes from the auto insurance companies that they have heard of. In reality, they are completely lost as to what they are actually buying.

Instead of looking at what each insurance company offers in the terms of protection for both themselves and their car, they are instead looking for cheap car insurance. Finding the cheapest car insurance coverage makes having to buy the required product all that much less painful, but misses the whole point of having insurance.

Learning about insurance through your insurance agent or websites like Car Insurance Guidebook will give you the upper hand when you looking for car insurance. You can take your knowledge and not only find the best price for insurance, you can use it to find really great insurance to protect you and your assets. Then you aren’t stuck settling for just average car insurance that can hurt you financially if you ever need it because there isn’t enough protection.

For example, when looking for insurance the car insurance rates are just the first of many factors that need to be taken into account when you are shopping around for car insurance. You also need to take into account the type of vehicle that you are driving. Many people don’t know this.

Are you driving around a vehicle that is a new sedan and can be protected under any blanket insurance policy? Or do you have an old car that you fixed up that needs special protection and could be better covered under classic car insurance?

Don’t just assume that when you compare car insurance that it will be a one-size-fits-all policy. This is where the insurance knowledge will come in handy; you will know what you need to protect yourself and your vehicle.

You will understand what your insurance agent is talking about when they use insurance terms and you will actually be able to make an informed decision. This is much better for you instead of the “nod and smile” approach people take in their insurance agent’s office.

Also just like your life changes your insurance needs will change. This year you may just need to learn about the best deductible to have. Next year you may need to educate yourself on car insurance for young drivers. As the years pass, motorcycle insurance may be something you will need to know.

Many wise people say that you never stop learning, so take their advice and educate yourself on the insurance that you spend a lot of money on and can’t get away with not having.