If you do not own a car, or have one in your household in which you should be on the policy as a driver for, than normally just because you have a driver's license in Oregon you do not have to carry auto insurance.

The Oregon DMV, the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division - a branch of the Oregon Department of Transportation, states that one is required to provide proof of insurance prior to taking a drive test and during the course of certain vehicle-related transactions.

When proof of insurance is required by OR than you will need to provide one of the following.

• A valid insurance card (a fax or photocopy is acceptable); or
• A current motor vehicle liability insurance policy or binder;

It is notes by the DMV that the above must contain information on the vehicle being used, insurance company name, policy number and policy expiration date.

Oregon has a mandatory insurance law (ORS 806.010) which requires that every driver insure their vehicle. The basic minimum liability insurance a motorist must have is:

• Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability of 25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident for injury to others and $10,000 per crash for damage to the property of others.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP) of $15,000 per person.
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage of $25,000 per person / $50,000 per occurrence for bodily injury.

You must certify that you have this insurance each time you register a motor vehicle, or when you buy a light vehicle trip permit. You must also certify that you will comply with Oregon's motor vehicle insurance requirements as long as a vehicle is registered in your name, or for the duration of the permit.

The DMV checks for insurance compliance by each month they randomly select vehicles and asks the owner(s) to provide the name of their insurance company and policy number. The OR DMV will then verify the reported coverage with the insurance company listed. If you are asked to give this information and you do not respond, your driving privileges will be suspended.

While you may not need car insurance on yourself just to have an Oregon driver's license you do need to make sure when you drive anyone's car that their insurance will cover you if you are in an accident. If you are in an accident and either the person's car you are driving is uninsured or their insurance does not cover you to drive the vehicle than you can be cited for driving without insurance.

Driving without liability insurance in OR could result in fines, suspension of your driving privileges, and the vehicle could be towed. When a vehicle is towed, there will be towing and storage fees to pay. This is in addition to any fines you may have to pay.

If a judge convicts you of driving uninsured, you will need to file proof of future financial responsibility (SR-22) with DMV for three years, or your driving privileges will be suspended. This is in addition to any fines you must pay the court.

If you are driving uninsured and are involved in a crash, your driving privileges will be suspended for one year. After the suspension ends, you can reinstate your driving privilege by filing proof of future financial responsibility (SR-22) with DMV for three years. Otherwise you will remain suspended.

If you do not have a car in which to place insurance but want an auto insurance policy to cover you for driving other people's cars (as secondary insurance to the car owner's primary insurance) you should see about getting a non-owner's policy.

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