Insurance requirements for registering a car in Idaho
The state of Idaho requires all drivers to have certain types of auto insurance or "financial responsibility" in order to legally operate a vehicle. This is required whether the vehicle is registered or not.
The minimum liability insurance required for vehicle owners under Idaho law is as follows:
$15,000 in property damage liability, which covers damage your vehicle causes to someone else's property (such as buildings or road signs).
$25,000 for personal injury insurance per person; this means that the total minimum amount that a driver must have for bodily injury insurance is $US 50,000 XNUMX, to cover the smallest possible number of people involved in an accident (two drivers).
This means that each driver must insure their liability for a total of $40,000 for each vehicle they drive in Idaho.
While the government requires all insurance providers to include uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance that covers the costs in the event of an accident involving a driver who did not have the proper amount required by law, there is no mandatory minimum in any policy. coverage volume.
Other types of insurance
The liability insurance listed above is all that is required by the Idaho Department of Insurance; however, the Department recognizes other types of insurance for additional coverage. This includes:
Medical benefit coverage that covers the cost of medical treatment or funerals resulting from a traffic accident.
Comprehensive insurance that covers damage to your vehicle that was not the result of an accident (for example, damage caused by the weather).
Collision insurance, which covers the cost of damage to your vehicle that is a direct result of a car accident.
Other types may include rental reimbursements, towing and labor reimbursements, and custom equipment insurance (which covers the additional cost of replacing non-standard upgrades on a vehicle).
Comparative negligence
Idaho state law states that more than one person can be found guilty in a traffic accident. This type of law is called comparative negligence and means that your insurance will only pay damages if you are less at fault than the other parties.
Your payout may also be reduced by your percentage of fault. If it turns out that you are 20% to blame for the accident, your insurance can reduce the amount they will pay out by 20%.
Penalties for Violation
Driving without proper insurance in Idaho or failing to present insurance when requested by a law enforcement officer can result in fines and jail time, including:
$75 fine for first violation
Fines up to $1,000 for subsequent violations
Jail term up to six months
The requirement to have an SR-22 Proof of Financial Responsibility, which is a special screening document, is usually required only for those who have been convicted of drunk driving and reckless driving.
For more information, contact the Idaho Department of Transportation on their website.
