Georgia Car Insurance Requirements
If you want to operate your vehicle legally on the roadways of Georgia, then you are required to carry insurance. Every state has insurance requirements to ensure the individuals have the financial ability to cover expenses in the event they cause an accident. Here, we want to discuss what Georgia law says about insurance requirements for every driver in this state. We will also discuss whether or not individuals should consider purchasing additional types of insurance to ensure they are properly cared for after an accident occurs.
Car Insurance Required by Law in Georgia
If you wish to operate a vehicle on Georgia roadways, it is crucial that you have the required insurance. Under Georgia law, every driver must have at least the following required minimum insurance coverage for their vehicle:
- Bodily injury liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability of $25,000 per accident
One thing we want to point out is that these insurance limitations are not very high at all, particularly for anything more than a minor vehicle accident. With the rising costs of healthcare and vehicle repair, we strongly recommend that individuals purchase higher liability limits in order to protect their financial interests should they be responsible for causing an accident.
Penalties for Not Carrying Insurance
Not having insurance could lead to significant financial penalties for individual drivers. For a first offense of driving without insurance, an individual could face a $25 lapse fee as well as a $60 reinstatement fee. A person’s driver’s license and registration could be suspended for 60 days, and individuals could face up to one year in jail. Second and subsequent offenses could result in harsher penalties.
In addition to these state penalties, getting into an accident without insurance could prove to be financially devastating. If you are at fault in an accident and do not have insurance, the injured party could come after your personal assets to recover compensation for their medical bills and property damage expenses.
What About Uninsured or Underinsured Insurance?
The state of Georgia does not require individuals to carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. However, we strongly recommend that you consider carrying this type of coverage to further protect your interests in the event an accident occurs. Uninsured motorist coverage is designed to help in the event you are involved in an accident caused by an uninsured driver. In these cases, your uninsured motorist coverage would kick in to cover the expenses.
Underinsured motorist coverage is designed to help if you get into an accident with an individual but you are expenses rise above the at-fault driver’s insurance limitations. For example, if you sustain $35,000 worth of medical bills in an accident caused by another driver, but that individual only has the minimum $25,000 bodily injury liability coverage, you could use your underinsured motorist coverage to help make up for the difference.
Work With an Attorney
If you or somebody you love has been injured or sustained property damage in a vehicle accident caused by another driver, we recommend that you work with an Atlanta car accident attorney who can help you recover the compensation you are entitled to. A skilled lawyer can communicate with other parties involved, including aggressive insurance carriers, to help ensure that you receive the coverage you are entitled to.