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QuestionInsurance Question  In Utah, do I insure the car or the driver? Must every person have auto insurance or is the vehicle insurance enough?

AnswerAuto Insurance Answer

Utah is no fault insurance state so Personal Injury Protection (PIP) of at least $3000 is required as the "no fault" portion of a UT auto insurance policy. Standard Liability coverage is also mandatory. The state's standard Liability coverage requirements are 25/65/15 as of 1/1/2009, up from 25/50/15 that was the previous Liability limits for the state of Utah.

The numbers of 25/65/15 stand for $25,000 per individual for bodily injuries you cause to the other persons, and up to $65,000 for all (Bodily Injury Liability or BI), and $15,000 for damage you may cause to another party's personal property (Property Damage Liability or PD). Uninsured and underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverages are also required and carry the same BI minimums, 25/65 unless you reject them in writing.

The Utah Department of Motor Vehicles states that motorists must carry proof of insurance for a vehicle and present it to any law enforcement officer upon request. Also for several years now Utah has compared its motor vehicle registration file with a database of insurance policies written to Utah residents. When the computer program discovers a Utah-registered vehicle does not have a corresponding insurance policy, a letter is sent to the vehicle's registered owner, requiring the owner to provide proof of insurance.

So insurance is needed for the car but the driver will need to show proof that there is valid insurance on the vehicle if stopped by law enforcement. If you own a car you insure your vehicle however you and any other licensed household members should be listed as drivers.

If you give permission to a friend that does not live with you to borrow the car then normally they will be covered under your auto insurance, however some policies have exclusions in them so it is best to check with your car insurance carrier to make sure your friend is covered by your policy before permitting a friend to drive it.

Make certain to not drive your car without insurance or allow someone that would not be covered by your policy to do so because if a person is convicted in a court or found through a Department of Public Safety (DPS) administrative hearing to have been operating a motor vehicle without insurance, the DMV may suspend the uninsured vehicle's registration.

Failure to provide insurance or operator's security is a Class B misdemeanor, for which the fine may not be less than $400 for a first offense; and $1,000 for a second and subsequent offense within three years of a previous conviction or bail forfeiture.

If a person is convicted for failure to insure a vehicle, the Utah DPS is required to suspend the person's driver license. DPS may not renew or issue a driver license to the person until the person gives the agency proof of owner's or operator's security and pays a reinstatement fee. Upon receipt of such proof, DPS also will notify DMV.

To obtain a free auto insurance quotes for UT, click here.

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