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What are state minimums for car insurance in Maine?
Things to remember...
- Bodily injury, property damage, medical payments, and uninsured/underinsured driver are mandatory auto insurance coverages in Maine
- Drivers should also look into optional insurance coverage offerings as well
- Failure to adhere to Maine’s mandatory requirements may lead to fines and penalties
The state of Maine wants to protect everyone on its roads, highways, and streets. To better assist the protection of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, Maine instituted mandatory minimum coverage for car insurance.
At the very least, the requirement for car insurance ensures at least some financial protection stays in place in case of an accident. Drivers should, however, purchase more than the state’s minimum in order to better protect their assets.
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Table of Contents
How to Read Car Insurance Requirements
Insurance companies provide a wide range of different coverage options for customers. In addition to meeting and exceeding Maine’s state minimum requirements, an insurance provider offers common optional coverages.
Anyone who requests a quote for car insurance should read the quote’s descriptions of the following coverages closely:
Bodily injury liability
No driver can avoid a mishap for long. In some instances, a driver could be at fault for a serious accident that inflicts harm on another person. Accidentally hitting a pedestrian and breaking his/her arm would be one such example.
Under bodily injury liability coverage, the negligent driver relies on a policy settlement to pay for the civil damages up to the limits of coverage.
Personal injury protection (PIP)/ Medical payments
In no-fault states, both personal injury protection and medical payments coverage are mandatory. With these coverage options, an injured party files a claim against his/her policy regardless of fault.
So, if a driver went through a stop sign, hit your car and you suffered an injury, you would still file against your own policy under PIP and medical payments. The ability to seek payments from the other driver’s liability insurance would be limited.
Property damage liability
Not all accidents lead to bodily injury. Sometimes, only property damage occurs. Are you at fault for damaging another driver’s car? The driver could seek a claim against your auto liability policy under property damage coverage.
Collision
Auto liability pays for damage you cause to others and not to your own car. Collision, however, does pay for damage you inflict on your vehicle during a collision. This type of coverage, however, comes with a deductible.
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Comprehensive
Comprehensive covers a wide array of perils a car owner faces such as:
- natural disasters
- vandalism
- arson
- theft
Comprehensive would address these losses minus the deductible.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist
Regardless of Maine’s mandatory requirements for carrying auto insurance, some drivers take to the road in defiance or ignorance of the law. Others may not carry enough coverage to pay for the damages they inflict.
Buying uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage helps you out in such tough situations.
When you work with an insurance company, you select types and amounts of coverage. The underwriter from the insurance company reviews your insurance history, credit background, driving record, and more.
Prior to purchasing a policy, the customer should read everything carefully to understand what perils are covered and which ones are excluded.
Minimum Coverage for Maine
Maine falls under the description of a fault state, but the insurance requirements expanded beyond what is commonly found in similar states. Namely, medical payments and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage remain mandatory. The exact state minimums are:
- Bodily injury – $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident
- Property damage – $25,000
- Medical payments – $2,000 per person
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist – $50,000/$100,000
The example of mandatory medical payments and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage acts as a red flag to look closer at other rules in place in Maine. The state does maintain requirements to acquire a salvaged title when a car is inoperable.
When a car is totaled and the insurance company does not take possession of the vehicle, the owner must apply for a salvage title.
What are the penalties for not carrying auto insurance in Maine?
Driving without insurance in Maine leads to a fine of $100 to $500 if convicted. Both the resident’s license and registration face suspension until presenting proof of insurance.
The driver’s insurance company must file an SR-22 proof of financial responsibility document with the DMV for three years.
Minimum Requirement vs. Recommended Coverage
Carrying only the minimum amount of auto insurance leaves you financially responsible for any damages beyond the minimum. The insurance industry recommends $100,000/$300,000 in bodily injury coverage, but even this may be low for some customers.
Examine your net worth and then select insurance that would deliver the appropriate amount of coverage.
Requesting online quotes starts the process of purchasing auto insurance in the state of Maine. After looking over the quotes carefully, a decision can be made about what particular insurance provider to go with.
Excellent rates on insurance premiums may be available as well as the best possible coverage.
Enter your ZIP code into our free rate comparison tool below to find the car insurance coverage that’s right for you.
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