The question of the day is do you need car insurance to drive in MA? The answer is yes. You may not know this, but in all states, if you drive an automobile without insurance it’s considered as a major traffic violation. That typically leads to multiple penalties. However, it gets worse for you if you drive a car without insurance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In fact, it’s considered to be a civil motor vehicle infraction. That basically means that you will face severe penalties.
Those severe penalties include paying a large fine, loss of your driving privileges, and even jail time. Driving without insurance certainly isn’t something that you should attempt. You could be pulled over by a police officer or get into an accident at any time. If your budget is tight, we have some good news for you. You can take out an auto policy with the minimum insurance required by Massachusetts. In essence, the minimum insurance requirements help protect all drivers from incurring substantial expenses due to automobile accidents.
For example, you need to carry a minimum of $20,000/$40,000 for bodily injury liability coverage. You also need to carry a minimum of $5,000 for property damage coverage, $20,000/$40,000 for uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage and $8,000 for personal injury protection. We highly suggest that you purchase more than the minimum amount of coverage to protect your best interests. This is due to the fact that the minimum amount of coverage may not be enough to cover all damages from an automobile accident. That could leave you in a vulnerable financial state.
In essence, if you’re found at fault than you may very well need to go out of pocket to pay the difference in the damages. That could end up being tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the severity of the accident. If you’re caught driving without insurance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the following penalties will apply. For your first offense, you’ll need to pay a $500 fine and an additional $500 payment or proof of an entire year of full coverage insurance.
Each offense after that requires a fine up to $5,000 per incident and an additional $500 payment or proof of an entire year of full coverage insurance. You may also be required to serve up to a one-year jail sentence for each offense. In addition, your driver’s license will be suspended for 60 days for the first violation, and a full year for any following violations. The driver’s license reinstatement fee is $500.
If you drive an automobile in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts than you need to ensure that you have the proper insurance coverage in place. We can help you get the best deal on all of your personal and or business insurance needs. Please consult with a professional insurance agent that can answer your questions about all insurance related topics. It is important to fully understand exactly what you are buying when it comes to insurance policies.
If you have any questions, please call (508) 831-0133 to contact an associate at Zawada Insurance. We are happy to walk you through the details of your insurance policies and explain your coverage options. We look forward to helping you with all of your personal and or business-related insurance needs now and in the future.