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All Pennsylvania drivers are required to be properly insured per state law before getting behind the wheel of a car. More than that, drivers assume full financial responsibility of any damages they create while driving in this state.

The state’s minimum auto insurance requirements provide you with benefits to pay for some of these expenses, but there may be instances when the minimum insurance requirements do not sufficiently meet all of your needs.

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Pennsylvania drivers should review local car insurance requirements and compare them against their current coverage to ensure compliance. More than that, the possibility of buying more than the required coverage should be examined carefully.

How to Read Car Insurance Requirements

Pennsylvania’s minimum auto insurance requirements include liability and personal injury protection benefits, but there are other types of insurance available to drivers in this state as optional add-ons to your coverage. It is important that you understand what is covered by each insurance type before you make a final decision about how to set up your auto coverage.

• Bodily Injury Liability – This is one of the required auto insurance types in Pennsylvania. It offers no benefits for your own medical expenses, and it only pays others for their medical bills associated with an injury accident.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP) / Medical Payments – Medical payments coverage is also required in Pennsylvania. Unlike bodily injury liability that pays for other people’s medical bills, this type of coverage pays for your own medical bills if you are injured on Pennsylvania roads.
• Property Damage Liability – Property damage liability coverage is a requirement in Pennsylvania as well. This type of auto insurance pays other parties for any property damage repairs that are needed in relation to an accident you cause. This includes vehicle repairs, home repairs, fencing repairs, and more as needed.
• Collision Coverage – This type of auto insurance is not a state requirement, but it may be a lender requirement that applies to some drivers who have a car loan in place. In the event of a collision only, this coverage pays benefits to repair or to replace your vehicle.
• Comprehensive Coverage – This is another type of insurance that may be a lender requirement, but it is not legally required by the state of Pennsylvania. It covers your own vehicle repair bills related to damage from a wide range of events, including criminal activities, accidents, and more.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage – Pennsylvania drivers may also prefer to buy uninsured motorist coverage, but this is not required by the state. With this type of insurance included in your policy, you may receive financial benefits if you are involved in a collision with someone else who is not properly insured or who flees the scene.

When you request quotes for car insurance in Pennsylvania, you will need to specify the types of insurance that you want from the items listed above as well as a limit for each type.

The state offers guidelines through required minimum levels of coverage, but you may prefer to buy extra coverage for enhanced benefits.

Minimum Coverage for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania strictly enforces its minimum auto insurance requirements, so all drivers should be aware of these requirements and should actively comply with them. The minimum amount of car insurance that Pennsylvania drivers need to buy includes:

• Medical benefits or PIP for $5,000
• Property damage coverage of $5,000
• Bodily injury liability coverage of $15,000 per person or $30,000 per accident

There are instances when these insurance requirements may not be applicable to your vehicle. For example, if you drive your car for business purposes, you may need to comply with special insurance requirements for business-use vehicles.

Penalties for Non-Compliance of the Insurance Law

Pennsylvania drivers are required to carry proof of active coverage with them at all times.

If you fail to do so or if you are caught driving without the proper amount of auto insurance in place, you may face numerous penalties. These penalties for non-compliance of the state’s auto insurance laws include:

• Impoundment of your car
• Suspension of your driver’s license and vehicle registration for up to three months
• A fine of at least $300

Keep in mind that a suspension of your vehicle’s registration means that nobody is permitted to drive the car until the registration is reinstated.

Minimum Requirement vs. Recommended Coverage

Some Pennsylvania drivers believe that their auto insurance policy will pay for all of their expenses if they are involved in an accident, but this is not the case.

The insurance company will only pay benefits related to the exact coverage types and up to the exact limits that you have specified.

In the event that some of your accident-related expenses are not paid for by the auto coverage that you have in place, you will need to pay for these repair bills and other expenses on your own.

How to Buy Cheap Auto Insurance in Pennsylvania

All drivers will need to buy auto insurance in order to comply with Pennsylvania’s coverage laws, and you may find that requesting car insurance quotes online is a great way to save time and energy with this process.

First, you will need to locate a few reputable car insurance companies that you want to request quotes from, and you should focus your attention on their financial standing and customer service rating.

Second, you need to determine the amount of insurance you want to buy and remember that the state’s requirements should serve as a minimum amount of coverage that you should consider buying.

Gathering information necessary to request quotes is also recommended before you begin reaching out to providers directly.

Requesting car insurance rates online from a few leading providers is usually a fast and easy process. Most providers require the same basic information from you in order to issue a quote, and you may be able to bind coverage and start driving legally in this state within a very short period of time.

Auto Insurance Laws

03.12.2017 / auto insurance basics / auto insurance requirements