I have heard rumors that it is illegal to drive without car insurance; first of all, is this true? Secondly, if this is so, why? Many individual American motorists experience between 0-2 minor accidents in their lifetime, some of which are very minor (where both cars still run fine and there’s just a bump or so). Any information would be useful.
30 Responses to “Why is It Illegal to Drive Without Car Insurance?”
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November 17th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
yes its true. u can get a big fine or go to jail without it
November 17th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Because if you hit someone and THEY get hurt the government wants to make sure they are covered by YOUR insurance so they don’t have to go into their own insurance and their own pocket that’s unfair.
that being said, I think it is way too expensive and some people would rather risk it than pay the hundreds of dollars.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
cause you can crash and then idk
November 17th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
It’s not illegal but if you do give even a minor bump scratch to another guy and you don’t have insurance, you’re in a LOT of trouble.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Yes it is illegal unless you post a bond.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:10 am
yes, it is. your insurance will help the other arrange for repairs, etc. cant explain it well now, my brain’s failing me.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Yes it’s illegal.
What if you cause extensive damage to somebody’s car? It’s your insurance that should pay for it. You can’t drive about even if there’s a small chance you could wreck someone’s car and not pay for it .
November 18th, 2009 at 12:59 am
Yes, it is illegal. It’s also extremely dangerous and irresponsible. Why? Because IF something happens, you would be liable for it out of your own pocket. If you hurt, or kill someone, you’d have to pay for their hospital bills, or compensation to their family.
FIY, did you know that YOU are responsible to pay for damages even if your car gets stolen and you dont have insurance, and the thief destroys something/someone with it?
November 18th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Because any car accidents can have a major toll on some person or peoples lives. It can be dangerous and the government found out over years that it is better to make people buy and use car insurance to keep everyone and everything safe.
November 18th, 2009 at 2:17 am
because the goverment says it is….and they will mess you up if you get caught driving without insurance.
November 18th, 2009 at 3:13 am
Well, in some states it is not illegal, but pretty darn stupid. Why do you think? Accidents happen. What if you pulled out by accident and hit a car with people that now need to be operated on etc????You got that kinda cash laying around? If so, let me give you my number!
Also, what if a non insured hits you?
November 18th, 2009 at 4:03 am
Its because of people who have no money and such drive around and smash into someone.. cause upwards of 100k$ worth of property and physical damages to the other driver.. they can’t pay for it, the other driver who needs the help can’t pay for it, and the hospital gets stuck with the bill.
November 18th, 2009 at 4:08 am
because if you hit me you better have insurance to pay for my damages
November 18th, 2009 at 4:52 am
yeah it is true. having insurance on your car is majorly important. even if you don’t get into an accident, it also covers u if you hit someone or whatever. but yeah. i think that’s a good thing because people need to be protected in every way.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:39 am
yes it is true and as far as i know one contributing reason for that is because if you do get in an accident the other motorists want their cars fixed. also its always nice to have.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:38 am
It’s illegal because if you hit someones car then it is all your responsibility to pay for it. It is very hard to get the money out of single people. So to make sure things get fixed you have to have insurance. Imagine if you had a new car and someone bumped it and scraped the paint. Even though your car is completely driveable you still want the nice paint job you paid for.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Laws were passed to make driving without insurance illegal. Mostly because driving is a privilege, not a right, and privileges come with stricter conditions whereas responsibility for ones actions is concerned. Making it mandatory to have insurance secures that should an “accident” occur then the person responsible will be able to make amends of some sort.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Some states require it, others don’t. As for your stat about most people have between 0-2 accidents some people have 5 or 10.
The reason is if you crash into someone even a small dent in a car is several thousand dollars. Most people don’t have the cash to throw out to pay for small damage let alone a badly damaged car or injuries to people. If someone can’t afford insurance they certainly can’t afford to pay someones medical bill and car repair and people shouldn’t be screwed b/c some idiot hits them so thats why.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Yes, I think it is illegal. If I get pulled over and don’t have car insurance, I face a $2000 fine (or some such high figure). It’s a racket that has been foisted on us by the insurance companies. The idea is that someone has to be financially responsible in case of liability. But who dares drive without it? I wouldn’t want to be sued for thousands of dollars.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Yes it is illegal. Car insurance isn’t simply to cover you if you have an accident, it’s to cover the other person, who makes a claim on your insurance, for property damaged and/or injuries received. Not all road users need insurance (like cyclists or pedestrians) but car and motorcycle drivers certainly do, since they are likeliest to cause serious damage.
You’ll understand the need for it if your car ever gets written off in an accident that wasn’t your fault, and the other guy isn’t insured.
November 18th, 2009 at 9:16 am
wow cant believe your asking this question…I was driving a car 4 years ago with no insurance got pulled over for switching lanes (no ticket) yet not my car no insurance went to court paid all fees and thought it was over never had a prior record of nothing….I didn’t pay the treasurer of Michigan now 4 years later I was pulled over and they said i was driving on a suspended license, I had no idea never was told my license was suspended… Now I owe the state of Michigan $800.00 and on probation which cost $365.00 for driving with no insurance in a car I didn’t even own…this is unreal …i swear to you never had a prior record and treated like a criminal….i could go on but it makes me very bitter about the law !!!
November 18th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Yes it is true, “many” is not “all”, it only takes one time for someone to smack into you causing multiple injuries your medical insurance will not cover if it is motor vehicle, not to mention the damage to your car. If you saved forever and spent fifteen or twenty thousand on a car why watch it burn up in an instant because of the stupidity of a drunk driver or even just a stupid misjudgment of someone running a red light and tboning your car. Do you know how much money that could cost you if that other person did not have insurance?
November 18th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Yes. Absolutely illegal. If YOU don’t have insurance and YOU are at fault, it ends up costing the innocent victim time and money to fix the problem when YOU and YOUR insurance should be taking care of it. What is more, if YOU get hurt in an accident and have no insurance, the rest of us end up sporting the bill if you cannot afford it. Our insurance premiums go up to pay for deadbeats who do not have insurance at all. Big rip off. To counter this problem, it is illegal to not have car insurance.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:32 am
If no one had insurance how would damages caused by someone else be fixed? Verbal contract? haha yeah right! When an accident happens there are things you need to do by law. Insurance helps you, and also pays for a lot.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Well it is illegalbecause if you get in a car crash with out insurance who’s going to pay for it? That’swhy its against the law to not have insurance.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:30 am
1.) Yes, it is in fact illegal to drive without insurance. It is not a rumor. And the fines for driving without insurance are typically very high. Much higher than say a speeding ticket fine. Usually $500 or more for a first time offense. More than one offense and the judge will suspend your license for a time period of his or her choosing. That is because not having insurance in the legal sense shows a strong lack of responsibility as an individual.
2.) It is because an accident is legally speaking a “foreseeable” possibility. And liability for an accident is a requirement. Someone must be held accountable. If damage to property is a result of an accident, the person who is liable for the damage must be held financially responsible to fix said damage. The person not responsible should not be held accountable for the cost of repairs, and as most people in the country can not afford to pay for repairs immediately you must have insurance. The person not at fault can not be held responsible for paying for their own repairs or medical bills in cases where they are physically hurt.
3.) Liability is the main factor. We have a lawsuit happy society. When someone gets hurt or has damage done to their property, the first thing they usually do in today’s society is file a lawsuit. You want financial protection through the form of insurance to help pay for any damages that will be awarded against you to the plaintiff.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:46 am
First off, for the record it is not illegal to drive without insurance in WI and NH. I have no clue why they don’t require it, but it is stupid not to make it mandatory. Even though insurance is not mandatory in those states you run the risk of fines, losing your license and having to pay for damages you cause. It ain’t worth it.
The main reasons are social reasons. 1) it helps to hold a negligent driver responsible for paying the damages they owe, even though their insurance company will pay it. 2) it helps protect the assets of both the negligent and innocent drivers if somebody gets hurt and there are tons of medical bills. Have you been to the E.R recently? 3) It spreads the risk out over a large group of people to make it more affordable to protect yourself and your assets. 4) Buying a policy allows you to transfer the risk of a screw up to the insurance company. For most of us we can’t afford to pay for an at-fault accident out of our own pocket.
As a claim adjuster I have seen tons of lives ruined (both the at-fault driver and innocent) due to large car repair bills or worse yet huge medical bills. I get to see the ugly side of not having insurance every week and it isn’t pretty. If you are at-fault and don’t have insurance you owe for these items;
-Car repairs and car rental for the other party.
-Your own car repairs.
-Medical Bills of any other injured person(s).
-Lost wages of any injured person(s)
-Payment for pain and suffering of any injured person(s)
-Fines for causing an accident while uninsured.
-SR 22 insurance policy mandated by the state at high rates for the next 3 yrs.
Driving without insurance is not worth it. None us plan to be in accident but if it happens you want to be insured, regardless of whether you are at-fault or not.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Try using http://My-InsuranceSearch.com to compare car insurance rates for all the major providers in your area.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
exactly how dumb are you?
November 18th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Most and perhaps all states require liability insurance by law to protect people whom you might injure as well as provide reparations for the property you have damaged. You do not have to carry coverage for damage to your own vehicle.
I’ve found some helpful info here too:
http://carquotes.sinfree.net
Hope that helps.