What Happens if You Do Not Have Auto Insurance in Your State?

In an effort to crack down on the high number of uninsured or under-insured drivers, every state in the country has enacted some sort of law that requires people who own and drive cars to be able to provide proof that they have insurance. This means that you cannot legally drive anywhere within the 50 states without having current and adequate car insurance. Just as the exact insurance requirements vary from state to state, so do the consequences for not having coverage.

Many states have instituted systems that allow them to check the insurance status of every driver within the state, so don't be foolish enough to think you won't get caught for driving without insurance.

Car Insurance Required on New Car Purchases

Anyone who buys a new car and finances it through a dealership or other lender will have to prove that they have insurance. If you drop your car insurance or fail to pay your premiums, your lender will insure the car for you and the cost of the insurance will be added on to your premium.

Liability Insurance

Every state has its own requirement for minimum auto insurance coverage. That minimum is referred to as liability insurance. Liability insurance is designed to cover medical expenses and the cost of repairing property (a car) that you damage when you are at fault for an accident.

If you drive without insurance and have an accident for which you are at fault, you may be held responsible for paying for all medical expenses of anyone who is injured in the accident, but you would also be legally liable for paying for the repairs, or possibly for a new car if the other driver's car is totaled. You would be ticketed for the accident and then ticketed for not having insurance, not to mention other ways the state could punish you.

Long Term Ramifications of Driving Without Auto Insurance

Some states have a punitive point system that is used for driving violations, including driving without adequate car insurance. They may add three or more points to your driving record. Those points on your driving record can impact the amount you wind up paying for your auto insurance, and that amount may remain in effect for quite some time.

Another thing to consider is that auto insurance companies are allowed to run a background check on the people who want to purchase insurance through them. When the background check brings up issues pertaining to lack of auto insurance, you may face additional consequences in the form of a high risk designation. High risk drivers always wind up paying substantially more for coverage. Depending on your individual circumstances, if a car insurance company feels that you are too great a risk to take on at all, they may disqualify you from coverage altogether.

Auto insurance is not hard to find. Take a quote on this website in order to compare rates from various insurance companies. This will give you an idea how little you will be spending to avoid the risk of being uninsured.