What are your legal responsibilities in Illinois in regards to auto insurance?
Asked by: Maximo Reichert | Last update: February 11, 2022Score: 4.2/5 (50 votes)
Under the state's "mandatory insurance law," Illinois requires vehicle owners to carry liability insurance for any vehicle registered in the state. If you're a vehicle owner in Illinois, the minimum coverage you're required to carry is: $25,000 for the injury or death of one person in an accident caused by you.
What is the mandatory automobile insurance requirement in Illinois?
Illinois law (625 ILCS 5/7-203) requires BI limits of at least $25,000 per person per accident and $50,000 total per accident. Property Damage (PD) – Pays for damage to another person's car or property such as fences, buildings, utility poles, signs, and trees.
Is the registered owner of a car liable for an accident in Illinois?
Registered vehicles must be insured for liability purposes with the following minimum limits: $20,000 for injury or death to one person in an accident; $40,000 for injury or death of more than one person in an accident; and $15,000 for damage to property of another. 625 ILCS 5/7-601 et seq and 625 ILCS 5/7-203.
Does insurance follow the car or the driver in Illinois?
In the State of Illinois, auto insurance follows the car. Drivers allowed to use the car, like a family member or anyone under the owner's insurance, will be covered in case of an auto accident. In case the owner loaned the vehicle to a friend, the owner will most likely foot the bill.
What does the safety responsibility law require?
The law works by incentivizing or requiring that drivers or owners of motor vehicles either carry adequate liability insurance or prove that they have the financial ability (in the form of money or assets) to compensate third parties for losses.
Illinois Minimum Liability Coverage Explained
What is proof of financial responsibility?
Vehicle Code 16028(a) VC requires motorists in California to carry proof of financial responsibility when driving their vehicles. Proof of financial responsibility simply means proof of automobile insurance. A party must provide this documentation to law enforcement when requested to do so.
What are the four forms of financial responsibility?
- A motor vehicle liability insurance policy.
- A deposit of $35,000 with DMV.
- A surety bond for $35,000 obtained from a company licensed to do business in California.
- A DMV issued self-insurance certificate.
Can someone drive my car if they are not on my insurance?
If a friend or a family member has an accident and isn't insured, then you will have to use your insurance. Unless you have expressly denied that driver permission to use your vehicle.
How does insurance work if someone borrows your car?
Your auto insurance policy is responsible for your car when someone else driving it is involved in an accident. ... If a friend borrows your car and causes an accident, your insurance policy pays for any at-fault damages. A rule of thumb to remember in this situation is “car insurance follows the car, not the driver.”
Can you drive someone else's car without insurance in Illinois?
Can You Drive Someone Else's Car Without Insurance? As long as the car you are driving is insured, you should be fine. Remember, auto insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver.
Who is responsible the driver or the owner of the car?
Car Use Without Permission: Owner Has No Car Accident Liability. If the driver who injured you had no permission to use the car, the vehicle owner is not responsible for paying you. It is the driver who is solely liable. An obvious example of this is when the driver was operating a stolen car.
Can you be personally liable in a car accident?
California is an at-fault state for car accident claims. ... If a driver causes a car crash, they could be personally liable for damages caused by the wreck if they do not have sufficient insurance to cover the damages. Car accident victims generally have the right to sue the at-fault driver for damages.
Are you liable if someone has an accident in your car?
How Your Primary Coverage Works. The bottom line is that when someone to whom you have loaned your car causes an accident that injures another person or damages someone's property, you are liable, and your insurance will be the first in line to cover their costs.
What types of auto insurance are required by law?
- Bodily injury liability coverage: $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident minimum.
- Property damage liability coverage: $5,000 minimum.
- Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage¹: $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident minimum.
Is Illinois a no fault car accident state?
In the United States, insurance laws typically fall into one of two categories: fault and no-fault. 12 states follow a no-fault system, which requires each individual injured in a car accident to pay for their damages with their own insurance coverage. ... Like most states, Illinois follows a fault insurance system.
What is the financial responsibility law?
Financial responsibility law, commonly associated with vehicles, are statutes that require an individual or business to prove that they can pay for damages resulting from an accident. Financial responsibility law does not specifically require the party to have insurance coverage.
What happens if I let someone borrow my car and they crash?
If you let a friend borrow your car and he or she causes an accident, your auto insurer would be responsible for paying for damages to the other driver and his or her passengers, up to the limits of your policy. If damages exceed your policy limits, your friend's insurance would act as secondary coverage.
Does the driver or car need to be insured?
Contrary to popular belief, car insurance typically follows the car — not the driver. If you let someone else drive your car and they get in an accident, your insurance company would likely be responsible for paying the claim, depending on the coverages in your policy.
Can someone drive my car?
Can I get insurance for anyone to drive my car? An any driver insurance policy allows anyone to drive your car at any time. There's no limit to how many people can drive the car, so any friends or family, who have your permission, are legally insured to drive it.
Is my girlfriend insured to drive my car?
Usually, yes — your car insurance coverage should extend to anyone else driving your car. ... This means even if your friend, sister or cousin have the best coverage possible, it would usually be your auto insurance that'd be covering the damages if they were at-fault in an accident while driving your vehicle.
Can my son drive my car if he doesn't live with me?
Your child likely won't be able to be on your auto policy any longer because he or she doesn't live in your household. ... If you're the parent who isn't listing the child on your car insurance, your child can still drive your car and be covered by your insurance. It works just as if you had a friend borrow your car.
Which three gauges are the most important to be aware of?
Which three gauges or indicators are the most important to be aware of? Coolant temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, and battery voltage gauge. How often is it advised to have maintenance done on your vehicle? At least twice a year.
How can you prove you are financially responsible for covering collision costs?
The usual method of showing proof of financial responsibility is to provide a California Insurance Proof Certificate (form SR 22/SR 1P) from an insurance company authorized to do business in California.
What does fail to maintain financial responsibility mean?
This means that for any person who wishes to own or operate a motor vehicle in the State of California, they must possess the ability to prove Financial Responsibility to pay for damages, injury or death; otherwise their driver license will be suspended.
What is an FR suspension?
If a motorist is caught driving without auto insurance they're in violation of the Financial Responsibility Act and they'll receive an FRA suspension, also known as a financial responsibility law suspension or random selection suspension.