Missouri Car Insurance Requirements, Rules and Laws: Getting The Most Out of Your Coverage
Missouri is one of the most densely populated states located in America. It has a high population of nearly 6 million people as of the 2009 census conducted by the U.S. Census. With 114 counties, and a highly urbanized city, it is one of the states that contain the highest volume of cars and vehicles today. Governing these millions of people and thousands of cars are the Missouri Car Insurance Laws and Statutes promulgated for the past 50 years. Car owners are obligated to follow the minimum requirements mandated by such laws and statutes in order to be able to avail of car insurance.
There are several minimum requirements that must be satisfied first by cars owners in Missouri which include the following:
• The insurance policy must have the coverage of 25/50/10.
• The car owner must have proof of ownership over the car. Therefore, the car must be registered under his or her name.
• The car owner must secure the MIC or Missouri Identification Card issued to insured vehicles in Missouri.
• The insured must be able to pay the insurance premium ranging from $1,500 up to $3,000 that will last around 10 months up to 15 months of coverage.
• The car owner must be currently living in Missouri.
When it comes to car insurance, the minimums prescribed by Missouri car insurance requirements, rules and laws are on lower end of the spectrum. All motorists should know that the minimum car insurance coverages required vary from state to state. There are also laws that are specific to particular state like the tort system and the no-fault system. You have to know what kind of protection the law provides for drivers like you so that you know exactly how much car insurance coverage you need to get and how much benefits you are entitled to in case you decide to file for a personal injury claim. The basic coverage limits that you would want to look at includes your personal bodily injury liability and your property damage liability. These two coverages will tell you how much the insurance company will pay for injuries and damages that you cause another party.
Other coverages may be added to your basic coverage. As per Missouri car insurance requirements, rules and laws, it is mandatory to include coverage for uninsured motorist bodily injury liability in your car insurance coverage. The minimums set for both bodily injury liability and uninsured motorist bodily injury is the same at $25,000 per injured person or up to a total of $50,000 per incident. The property damage liability minimum limit, on the other hand, is pegged at $10,000. Having less than the said minimum requirement can be deemed illegal and both the insurer and the insured will be fined if they enter into an insurance contract of lesser value than these. You can expect to pay an average premium of about $1,500 for such basic coverage in Missouri. This is right about the national average premiums for car insurance coverages. There are insurance companies that might be able to give you lower rates depending on a number of factors including your driving skill, the kind of car that you drive, and the kind of storage or parking arrangements you have for your car.
The MIC or Missouri Identification Card must be kept at the car or vehicle at all times. At any time during any type or form of accident or traffic violation, persons in authority such as police officers may require this ID. Failure to produce it will result in fines and other penalties. As such, make it a point to remember to always put it in your car’s glove compartment or any other area that can be accessed easily. This card contains the name of the insurance company and the policy number that the car is documented upon.
Car owners living in other states are governed by other laws, typically of the state that their car is registered in. Necessarily, cars and vehicles registered in Missouri are governed by the state laws of Missouri. All of the above mentioned requirements are mandatory, with the 25/50/10 requirement being the least amount of coverage allowable. Any amount claimed that is in excess of the coverage of the insurance policy will be shouldered by the insured, especially in cases of damage to property and bodily injuries. An insurance policy usually lasts around a year, but some insurance companies offer the flexibility of 8 months up to 15 months of duration.
There are a number of other coverages that you can purchase for your car. You can actually choose to upgrade your coverage in terms of higher maximum limits and additional benefits for theft and robbery, vandalism, and acts of God. The more of these benefits that you add to your coverage, the higher your premiums are. You can ask around for quotes before you decide to purchase your car insurance policy from a particular company. When you have different quotes, you get to compare not only the costs but also the coverages that you are getting from these insurance companies. Remember that your driving record a bearing on the amount of car insurance premium that you will be levied. Make sure that your driving record is clean and the car that you are having insured is considered to be a "safe" car. If you have teenagers or juveniles driving your car, you cannot expect to get a low premium rate.
Missouri Department of Insurance
- 301 West High Street, Room 530
- Jefferson City, MO 65101
- Phone: (800) 726-7390
- www.insurance.mo.gov
Missouri Department of Transportation
- 105 W. Capitol Avenue
- Jefferson City, MO 65102
- Phone: (888) 275-6636
- www.modot.org
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