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A Guide to Auto Insurance in Utah (UT)Utah auto insurance is no-fault insurance. They're one of nine states, plus the territory of Puerto Rico that has this type of insurance. When two drivers have an accident in a no fault state, each turns to their own insurance company for payment for their medical bills. This stops delays in payments that can occur when the parties disagree about the cause of the accident. Even though the state is no-fault, you still need liability coverage. In most cases, your comprehensive and collision coverage for Utah auto insurance pays for your vehicle or other personal property damage. However, if you don't have coverage and believe the driver was more than 50 percent at fault, you can sue them for the damages under the Comparative Negligence Law. After the adjuster investigates the accident, he determines not only the at-fault driver but also the percentage of negligence for each driver. If you were 20 percent to blame for the accident, you can sue for 80 percent of the damages to your vehicle. The state requires that you carry 25/65/15 liability limits and $3000 PIP, Personal Injury Protection. The liability is split-limits liability and represents the number of thousands of dollars of coverage. The first number is the maximum amount your insurance company pays to any one person with an injury. If you had the minimums and someone sued you for $50,000, the most the company would pay is $25,000. The second is the aggregate amount, the total amount the company would pay for all injuries. Even if three people sued you for $25,000 and won, the company would only pay $65,000 maximum. With that in mind it is worth considering getting more then the minimum state requirements for auto insurance in Utah, because ultimately someone is going to have to foot the bill if you have an accident, and it is preferable that it be the Utah auto insurance rather than you! The final number, 15, represents the maximum amount of coverage for property damage that your insurance company pays. In this case, the amount is $15,000. If you sue for property damage, you also have to go through the process of establishing comparative negligence. The final amount of mandatory Utah auto insurance is the $3000 PIP coverage. PIP coverage pays for injuries in an accident regardless of fault. Since the minimum is rather small, many drivers increase their PIP coverage above the limit. Aside from taking the other driver to court, you have an option to cover your vehicle with comprehensive and collision coverage. This is not mandatory coverage in the state of Utah. However, if still owe money on your car; your lender probably required it as part of the loan agreement. Plus, in many cases it makes sense to have insurance that also covers you for such things as storm damage or vandalism, especially if you have a fairly decent car, as repair bills can be extremely pricey. Naturally you can factor in these costs when you get some Utah auto insurance quotes and start to see how much the cover you need is going to end up costing you. If you drive without Utah auto insurance, you face some stiff penalties. Those convicted in court or discovered by the Department of Public Safety, the DPS, in an administrative hearing can lose their license. That's not all. Since operating a vehicle without insurance is a Class B misdemeanor, you also face a fine of $400 for the first offense. If you commit the same act within three years, the fine increases to $1000. The Utah Department of Public Safety has the right to suspend, non-renew or simply not issue a license unless the person convicted produces proof of insurance and pays a reinstatement fee.
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