Have you ever wondered why do I need car insurance in Missouri? Or in any other state for that matter? The quick and easy reason is, it’s the law. These regulations are put there to make you safer, to make the public safer and help keep track of who is driving responsibly. Basically, these regulations have helped save lives over the years and most likely the laws will get stricter before they go the other way. This is good for you as long as you are able to maintain your Auto quoted insurance policy minimum. We say in the state of Missouri or Illinois because we cover the St. Louis area.

But, it really comes down to you needing a motor vehicle insurance policy in every single state in the country. Sure some people say this is just one more restriction and a way for the government to make money. The number of lives saved outweighs that argument every single time. The rest of this article will mostly talk about the Missouri side of things.

Why Do I Need Car Insurance In Missouri

We all know it’s a law that that state of Missouri requires you as the driver to have a known and reliable method to pay the costs of injury or damage if you are in an accident. You will find this is immediately the safety aspect helping you in case someone hits you and it’s not your fault. A lot of St. Louis area drivers go ahead and purchase the minimum required liability auto insurance quote in order to fulfill the State of Missouri’s insurance requirement.

Here are Some Car  Insurance Requirements For Missouri

You Have The Option Of Liability Insurance:

The law states that every Missouri driver is required to purchase and maintain at least the following. It’s considered the minimum amounts of liability coverage:

  • $25,000 for bodily injury, per person.
  • $50,000 for total bodily injury (when multiple people are injured).
  • $10,000 for total property damage.

Another thing that you might have heard of is Uninsured Motorist Coverage. This is something that Missouri requires once again. Missouri requires drivers to have uninsured motorist coverage and this is for bodily injury and they need to be at the same minimums per above. You do not have to have this uninsured motorist coverage for property damage. Life insurance is another insurance policy that some believe you should be required to have.

Other Ways You Can Comply

The easiest and most common method to comply with Missouri’s motor vehicle insurance laws is to simply have car insurance. Of course with any law, you get options and if you meet these other legal requirements and submit to the Department of Revenue (DOR) then you should be OK.

  • Surety Bond
  • Cash Deposit – Or deposit of negotiable securities, such as stocks, bonds, etc.
  • Real Estate Bond
  • Certificate of self-insurance – This option will only be available if you are a business or a religious organization.

Other Types Of Car Insurance

The dreaded accident, words none of us even want to utter. In fact, I get a cringe right now when thinking about getting into an accident. But, having an insurance policy and knowing that you are covered can make you feel at ease. As we know an auto accident can be very costly and this is when you will hope you are a customer of some sort of auto insurance. Sometimes even the minimum insurance that you have acquired because it’s all you need by law might not cover the cost of damage. In this situation, there are other types of optional insurance coverage to get some additional protection.

  • Comprehensive Coverage – This insurance policy will help you take care of the damage to your vehicle if something happens that is not an actual car accident. Some of these things might be a: fire, hail storm or a freak “accident”.
  • Collision Coverage – This is what pays for the damages to your own car after having a car wreck with another vehicle or even an object.
  • Medical Payments – This is the coverage that helps with medical bills that are related to your accident.
  • Rental Car Reimbursement – This helps cover the cost of a rental car if your car is not drive able.
  • Emergency Roadside Assistance – Coverage that will send someone to you if your car breaks down or if you have a flat and cannot change it.

Missouri Requires That You Can Show Proof Of Insurance

  • That state of Missouri says that you must be able to show your proof of insurance at various times which include:
  • Registering Your Vehicle
  • Renewing Plates – Can Do With Online Service
  • You are required to have proof of insurance in your vehicle at all times

Penalties When You Fail To Show Proof Of Insurance

There are several occasions when you might be asked to produce your proof of insurance. Obviously if you are in an accident, during a traffic stop for any reason. If you do not produce your proof of insurance, it’s possible that not only you, and if not you the vehicle owner, can be subject to a ticket. The officer taking care of the accident or the traffic accident will also notify the Department of Revenue that you were behind the wheel driving and did not have insurance.

They notify the DOR, because the DOR has the right to request you show your proof of a insurance policy at anytime they like. If you are not able to show it, your license can and most likely will be suspended.

Hopefully, this has answered your question about why you need a car insurance policy in the state of Missouri. First of all, it’s the law, second, it’s for public safety. The state wants to make sure everyone that is driving is doing it under the rule of the law and remaining safe. So, no having insurance is not just a way to make you jump through hoops and get more money from you.

Some Information From This Post Can Be Found Here.

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