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A Guide to Auto Insurance in Delaware (DE)If you purchase Delaware auto insurance, you need to have at least the minimum coverage. In Delaware, that minimum is 15/30/10. While that may look a little confusing at first, it's very simple. These are split- liability limits and each number represents thousands of dollars of coverage. The state does not require you to carry coverage on your own vehicle called comprehensive and collision coverage. However, if you still owe a financial institution money on the vehicle, they may require that you carry that coverage to protect their investment. Liability coverage pays for the other person's loss. If you have an at-fault accident (meaning you caused it) in Delaware and insured only up to the state minimum coverage, the most the company would pay to an injured party in the other vehicle is $15,000. If several people were injured the most the insurance company would pay for injury is $30,000, the second number in the split limit amount. The third number, the 10, stands for the amount the company would pay for property damage. Property damage can occur when you hit another vehicle or even run into a building with your car. When you consider the cost of a new car these days, $10,000 is not very much money if you total the other person's vehicle. What happens if the cost of the property damage or bill for the other person's injury is higher than your Delaware auto insurance limits? You pay for the difference out of your pocket. It wouldn't take much to do that either. If you can afford more than minimum coverage, it's wise to purchase it. There's one other mandatory Delaware auto insurance coverage. This one protects you and the people riding in your car. The coverage is PIP, personal injury protection. No matter who caused the accident, PIP pays you and your passengers for medical expenses and the loss of your wages if you have to miss work. The minimum coverage is 15/30 just as the minimum liability limits for bodily injury the company pays up to $15,000 for one person and a total of $30,000 for all injured parties. PIP also provides a $5,000 funeral expense benefit. The state has a harsh penalty for driving without Delaware auto insurance. The first time the police catch you driving uninsured and the court finds you guilty, the minimum fine is $1,500. After the first offense, if you have any subsequent offenses in the next three years, the fine increases to $3,000. It certainly makes your auto insurance premium seem far more inexpensive. The state also suspends your driving privileges and/or license for sixth months. Insurance companies send notices to the state if they cancel your insurance. If the state finds the company cancelled you and you didn't find another company, you pay $100 per vehicle for the first 30 days. Each day after that, there's an additional $5 per day until you surrender your registration or your plates expire. If you can't find insurance, there's an alternative. Delaware offers a state plan called the "Delaware Auto Plan" specifically for people that can find no other insurance. Since the rates are quite high, take this coverage only as a last resort and then continue to look for other coverage even after that. If you are a normal driver in Delaware and haven't had any brushes with the law, DUI convictions or points on your driving licence then you will normally find that it is cheaper to just get auto insurance in Delaware through the conventional channels. To do this simply get a few Delaware Auto Insurance Quotes, and start comparing what is on offer. You will soon start to see patterns emerge as to how much cover will cost you, and the terms and conditions that are common to all the insurance companies, and those little differences between the policies that may mean either your claim being paid out in full, or not paid out at all. This used to be much trickier then it is now and you would have to use an Insurance Agent. But these days it is quite easy to cut out the middleman entirely, and get your auto quotes online. What this lacks in personal touch it more than makes up for both in terms of the extra flexibility you get, and the better value of the policy that you will end up being able to afford.
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