If you own and drive a vehicle, you must carry Pennsylvania auto insurance if you reside in the state.
Pennsylvania refers to this as keeping the "financial responsibility" on your vehicle. If you do not keep coverage on your vehicle, the DMV is notified and you face the possibility of your vehicle registration being suspended. If your lapse in Pennsylvania auto insurance was for less than 31 days, you must provide proof that you did not drive during the time to the Department of Transportation. Not carrying insurance also means that you could face a fee of at least $300, three-month suspension of registration and license, vehicle impoundment and the restoration fees on both your license and registration as a result of an insurance lapse.
Pennsylvania auto insurance is not all the same for each person. Although everyone is able to choose their coverage with their provider, there are minimal levels of coverage that must be maintained to meet with the state's regulations.
Medical benefits is the part of the policy responsible for paying for the medical bills for anyone on your policy and the Pennsylvania auto insurance department requires you have a minimum of $5,000 in coverage, although you may purchase more. You must maintain the same amount of property damage liability, which covers the payment of personal property damaged during an accident. The bodily injury liability portion of your insurance covers the damages and injuries you inflict on another person or vehicle if you are at-fault in an accident. The minimum level of coverage is $15,000/$30,000, which pays $15,000 for injuries for each person while $30,000 covers the maximum for an accident overall.
Pennsylvania auto insurance also gives you options of additional coverage that are not required by law but improve your chances of recovering all costs during an accident. Uninsured motorist coverage pays for bodily injury if someone who does not have insurance gets into an accident with you. Underinsured motorist coverage functions the same way, except that it makes up the difference if the individual you get into an accident with doesn't have enough insurance cover for all expenses incurred.
Comprehensive and collision damage cover are required by most lenders who you purchase a vehicle through until it is completely paid off. Comprehensive Pennsylvania Auto Insurance insurance covers theft or damage to the vehicle from fire, flood, vandalism or hitting a roaming animal. Each amount that you purchase has a certain deductible, or amount you are responsible for, to purchase. Collision pays for damage to your vehicle in the event you have an accident. The default deductible is $500, although you can get a lower deductible if you request from the Pennsylvania auto insurance company, which results in a higher premium overall.
An accidental death benefit pays the individual's representative a set sum of money if someone dies as a result of injuries during an automobile accident. Extraordinary medical expenses cover incidents that exceed $100,000, up to $1 million in coverage.
Other benefits, such as towing and rental reimbursement coverage, benefit you when it comes to needing your vehicle to be towed or if damages from an accident are so great on your vehicle that you need to drive a rental car for a length of time. The costs of your policy depend on your age, driving history, time of experience and the levels of coverage you want to maintain.