Connecticut state law requires minimum Bodily Injury Liability coverage of $20,000 per injured person up to a total of $40,000 per accident, and Property Damage Liability coverage with a minimum limit of $10,000. This basic coverage is often referred to as 20/40/10 coverage.

Connecticut state law also requires a minimum Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage of $20,000 per person, $40,000 per accident for any bodily injury caused by the uninsured driver.

The General Statutes of Connecticut (GSC 14-112) requires that all registered motor vehicles have liability insurance maintained at all times. When you register or renew a vehicle registration, you must certify insurance coverage. Your signature attests that minimum vehicle liability insurance will be maintained throughout the registration period and the vehicle will not be driven without insurance. Action must be taken by the DMV if this statement is not honored.

Whenever insurance coverage is cancelled, the CT DMV is notified by the insurance company due to the mandatory insurance reporting laws and the registrant with the insurance lapse is mailed a Warning Notice offering the opportunity to enter into a consent agreement, obtain insurance, and pay a fine of $200. If you follow this request by the DMV no further action is supposed to be brought against you if insurance is maintained on the vehicle as required by CT law.

If you do not respond to the notification by the CT DMV about your lapse in insurance coverage then they should send you a suspension notice and a hearing can be set up to discuss your penalties which typically include suspension of the vehicles registration and/or your driver's license. Also you will normally lose all privileges to renew or register any motor vehicle.

If you have not received a notice from the CT DMV regarding your lapse of coverage than either your insurance issues slipped through the cracks of the system or perhaps they have a wrong address for your or the mailings got lost. Since you have had a lapse in insurance for over a year it is surprising they have not taken action against your registration and/or driver's license so you may want to contact the CT DMV to make sure both of these are still valid and not suspended.

To avoid penalties for not having the required insurance coverages in place in Connecticut one is required to turn in both their plates and registration to the DMV. If you do get caught driving without insurance in CT penalties include impoundment of the vehicle and a fine of at least $110, so it is best to get car insurance in place as soon as possible.

Getting insurance may be a bit more difficult than if you had continuous coverage because a break in coverage can make you more of a risk to an insurance provider, especially if your last insurance policy canceled due to non-payment. However you should be able to get auto insurance for you and your vehicle. You may be more of a high risk to an insurance company now but if you have a good driving record and keep insurance on your vehicle this time than as you prove yourself to be not as much of a risk to the insurer your rates should go down.

The best way to find to reasonable rates for auto insurance after having a lapse in insurance coverage is to shop around. You can start here with us by getting free auto insurance quotes with us.