Before you skip buying auto insurance, there are some things you should know about penalties for driving without insurance.  While each state has its own car insurance laws, chances are you’ll face stiff penalties if you get caught driving without insurance.

These penalties range from a fine of $100 to $500, driver’s license suspension, and even jail time (if you get caught driving after suspension of license).  If worries about these possible penalties don’t motivate you to purchase auto insurance, consider that you could get into even more trouble if you are the at-fault driver in a serious accident.

If you cause an accident, you can be held responsible for damage to the other party’s car, plus any medical bills and even lost wages if they’re seriously injured.  You could even be sued for personal injury, and if a judgment is entered against you, you face having your assets seized or your wages garnished.  When you consider that even a minor fender-bender can result in thousands of dollars worth of damage, shopping for car insurance doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Each state has different requirements, but nearly all require liability insurance.  Liability insurance is coverage that pays for the property damage and medical bills of the other driver if the accident is your fault, but remember that it won’t pay for any of the damages to your car or your own medical bills.

Most states have certain minimum limits of liability.  These are minimum amounts of insurance coverage that you are required to carry for property damage and bodily injury.  You should be aware that these minimums aren’t always enough to cover all of the other party’s expenses in an auto accident, and you could still be sued for the remaining amount once the insurance coverage has been exhausted.  This is why it’s a good idea to consider buying auto insurance coverage over the minimum requirements.

Before shopping for car insurance, it’s a good idea to take a look at your state’s laws regarding auto insurance coverage.  A simple way to do this is to simply Google the name of your state, followed by the phrase “auto insurance laws“.  Make sure you get information from an official government website, since you could run across one of the many websites that work by getting leads for car insurance quotes.  If you run across one of these sites, you can’t be sure that any information provided about state insurance laws is fully accurate.

You don’t need to avoid these sites entirely, and they can actually be useful to you once you’ve verified your state laws.  A site that offers online insurance quotes can help you get the cheapest car insurance.  This is because you can compare car insurance quotes from a variety of companies.  Letting them compete for your business means that you are more likely to get a decent car insurance rate.

When you shop for an insurance quote, it’s best to compare offers from at least three different companies, since you will find that auto insurance rates vary considerably from one company to the next.  If you’ve been without auto insurance for a while, and especially if your driving record isn’t spotless, you will most likely pay a bit more than someone with a clean record and consistent insurance history.  Comparison shopping with multiple quotes is the best way to get a good deal, and you’ll be glad to know that with a good driving record and insurance payment history, your premiums will decrease over time.

Given the potentially high costs you might have to pay as a result of driving without insurance, it’s really not worth it to avoid buying car insurance.  Yes, you will have to pay monthly premiums.  But driving a car comes with responsibility, and that means obeying your state’s laws and protecting yourself from liability for unintended accidents.  It’s better to simply bite the bullet and pay for auto insurance to avoid the fines, license suspension, time in jail, and even personal injury lawsuits, that could result from driving without insurance.

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