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Thanks to the current flux of the economy and the fact that people are struggling to cut back in ways they’ve never had to before, the number of people out on the roads driving without insurance is climbing at a rapid rate. Those numbers are expected to hit seventeen percent or higher within the next two years-a frightening thought when you consider there were over 250,851,833 passenger vehicles registered with the DMV in 2007, and numbers have climbed by over 109 million since then.
Seventeen percent of that is over 42,644,811 cars on the road without insurance, any one of which can hit you at any minute.
The good news is, states are finally starting to crack down on car insurance compliance-and Oregon is leading the field. While many states have started implementing policies for drivers who decide driving without insurance is a good idea to continue to cruise the friendly highways (after paying a stiff fee, of course) Oregon is standing tough and cracking down on uninsured motorists.
When you register a vehicle with the Oregon DMV you’re required to show proof that you’re not going to be driving without insurance by producing documentation stating your car is covered under the Oregon minimum car insurance requirements. When the DMV gives you your registration it’s with the understanding that as long as the car is registered in your name it’s going to continue to be covered by those minimum requirements. Failure to do so constitutes a “breach of contract” (of sorts), and it’s punished accordingly.
Oregon Minimum Car Insurance Requirements
1. $25,000 per person bodily injury and property damage liability,
2. $50,000 per crash for bodily injury to others,
3. $10,000 per crash for anyone else’s personal property that decides to get involved,
4. $15,000 in personal injury protection (to cover “reasonable and necessary medical, dental and other expenses one year after a crash”), and
5. $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash in uninsured motorist coverage.
If you’re caught out on the highways without at least this much insurance on your car you’re going to be required to appear before a judge. If the judge finds you guilty of driving without insurance (as opposed to simply not being able to find your insurance card when the cop pulled you over) they’re going to fine you, and you may even have to pay to have your vehicle towed and stored and your driving privileges suspended for a year or more. And you can definitely plan on spending a ridiculous amount of time over the next three years producing proof of insurance in the form of your SR-22.
( The SR-22 is a form sent by your insurance provider that guarantees you’re not driving without insurance and, in fact, have purchased car insurance to the tune of Oregon’s minimum state requirements. It’s required after you’ve been convicted of driving without insurance, are applying to have your license reinstated after a DUI/DWI, you’ve been involved in an uninsured accident, you’re applying for a hardship or probationary permit or you couldn’t produce proof of liability insurance for the DMV at the time of registration.)
Any way you want to look at it, driving without insurance is always a bad idea. It might hurt other people, and sooner or later it’s definitely going to hurt your pocketbook. So why take the chance? Contact an Oregon car insurance provider today.
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