New York Car Insurance Laws

If drivers are hurt in an accident caused by another driver, their first resort cannot be to go to the courts for monetary compensation for their injuries. Because New York is a no-fault state, part of the duties of a car insurance company is not to determine who caused the accident where bodily injuries are concerned. These people will have to meet the burden that New York has set before they will be able to sue another driver. Find out how much your car insurance rates will be by entering your ZIP code into our FREE car insurance comparison tool!

Officials in New York have set out to limit the lawsuits filling the courts’ books that are car crash-related, but they do want people’s medical bills to be paid. No-fault states, generally, require that their drivers purchase Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance, and New York is no exception. To be insured at a great price, enter your ZIP code into our FREE car insurance tool now!

PIP Insurance

After a car collision occurs, car insurance companies do not need to determine fault for payment of medical bills because drivers will file a claim for their own PIP insurance coverage. The PIP insurance will pay the policy holder’s medical bills and the medical bills of the policy holder’s passengers.

In New York, drivers are required to get a quote for PIP car insurance for at least $50,000.This would mean that each driver has at least $50,000 to take care of everybody’s medical bills who was riding in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Bodily Injury Liability Coverage

New York restricts lawsuits, but they are not a complete impossibility. If the injuries are severe enough and to the degree of permanency that New York requires to warrant a lawsuit, those injured will be able to sue the at-fault driver. Because this possibility exists, New York drivers must also purchase bodily injury liability coverage.

New York has set limits for bodily injury liability coverage its drivers must have before these people take their vehicles on the roads.

If they injure someone in a car crash that they cause, New York drivers must have $25,000 bodily injury liability to pay the hospital bills or the doctor’s office bills that one injured person collects.

Coverage for the Entire Accident

As more than one person may be injured in a car crash, New York drivers must also purchase an amount of bodily injury liability coverage to cover medical costs for every one hurt. In New York, the minimum amount drivers must have is $50,000 for bodily injuries caused in the entire accident.

Property Damage Liability Coverage

Property damages often do not follow the no-fault system, so drivers must also purchase the property damage liability coverage that is designated toward any property that has been damaged. Vehicles are often damaged in car collisions, but vehicles have been known to cause damage to buildings.

Anyone who has had property damaged in a car collision caused by another driver will be able to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s car insurance company. For this occurrence, New York drivers must have a minimum of $10,000 in their property damage liability insurance coverage.

Consequences for Driving a Car Without Car Insurance

New York car insurance laws come with penalties, so those who are thinking about breaking these laws may think twice about that decision. Penalties for driving without car insurance in New York are:

• A fine that can be as low as $150 or as high as $1,500
• The possibility of a 15-day jail sentence
• A civil penalty equal to $750

Extra Insurance Coverage against the Uninsured/Underinsured

Even though New York has the above penalties in place, some people still decide that they are going to drive even though they do not have the car insurance coverage they are required by law to purchase. New York is prepared to have its drivers meet the possibility of being hit by someone without car insurance by requiring even more car insurance.

Drivers in New York must purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for the times that they may be hit by someone who is driving without insurance, is a hit-and-run driver or does not have enough insurance to fully cover the bills. New York drivers must have $25,000 for one person who suffers injuries due to the uninsured or underinsured, and $50,000 for the entire accident.

Underinsured Drivers

An underinsured driver is someone who has purchased the $25,000 bodily injury liability coverage for one person and $50,000 bodily injury liability for the entire accident. The driver will be considered underinsured if the injured parties who filed claims with the at-fault person’s car insurance company have bills that exceed $25,000.

New York Car Insurance Rates Are Among the Highest

The average car insurance premiums people are paying in New York tempts many to break the current car insurance laws. In New York, drivers are required to carry more car insurance than in other states, and it is one of the reasons that New York has some of the highest car insurance rates in the country. To keep those costs low, enter your ZIP code into our FREE car insurance tool. Currently, the average car insurance rates for the country are $1,671.16. In contrast, the average rates for New York are $2,793.71.

In states where it is common that people are paying very high car insurance rates, they cannot purchase their policies from the first car insurance company they see. They need to take time comparing the rates of more than one car insurance company.

Those who are on this website are in luck, because comparing car insurance quotes is so easy! Our comparison feature requires that you enter your ZIP code, and in minutes you will have your FREE car insurance quotes.