What happens if you total your car with no insurance?

Driving without insurance is illegal in most states. This means that you must have at least a state minimum insurance policy in order to drive legally or proof of financial responsibility, which you can get at your local DMV if you meet the requirements.

If you do not have insurance or proof of financial responsibility and get into a car accident, you may be responsible for paying 100 percent of your accident-related expenses.

In addition to severe financial losses, you could have your driver’s license suspended, be put in jail, and face other fines from the court system and your local DMV.

In order to avoid massive financial consequences and other severe legal and civil penalties, you should purchase an affordable policy with help from a car insurance comparison tool.

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Hazards of Driving Without Insurance

Some drivers, due to not knowing the laws or financial hardship, opt to cancel their insurance coverage or let it lapse due to nonpayment. If you are one of these drivers, you could be in for a shock.

Each state has their own penalties if you are caught driving without insurance.

If you are caught driving without insurance in Michigan, you could face jail time of up to 12 months and be forced to pay a fine between $200 and $500.

Your license may also be suspended for 30 days or until you provide your local DMV with proof that you have acquired an insurance policy.

If you get into a car accident without insurance in Michigan, you cannot:

• Sue for pain and suffering, even if you didn’t cause the accident.
• Get reimbursement for the damages to your car or your personal injuries that occurred at the time of the accident.
• Avoid being sued by the other driver or the other driver’s insurance company if you are the driver that caused the accident.

Car Accidents in No-Fault VS. Tort States

When it comes to car accidents and insurance, states are either “no-fault” or “tort/traditional”. If you live in a state with no-fault laws, each driver is expected to file a claim with his or her insurance company.

If the claim is approved, the driver’s insurance company pays for the car accident-related expenses.

If you live in a tort state, once your insurance company receives your claim, they investigate the accident to determine which driver caused the accident.

If you are determined to be the cause of the accident, your insurance company pays for the other driver’s expenses. If the other driver is determined to be the cause of the accident, the other driver’s auto insurance company pays for your expenses.

While this may sound simple, 10 states currently have pay to play rules. If you get into a car accident without insurance, you cannot claim damages because you do not pay for insurance.

To avoid these scenarios, you should find an affordable liability insurance policy by using a comparison tool.

Getting into a Single Car Accident that Totals Your Car with No Insurance

If you get into a car accident and total your car without insurance, the best case scenario is that you only damaged your car and caused injury to yourself.

In this scenario, all you have to do is call the tow truck and/or an ambulance if you are severely hurt. You car repairs and your medical bills are your responsibility.

However, you don’t have to pay for anyone else’s accident-related expenses because no other people or property were involved.

Getting into a Car Accident with No Insurance that Involves Another Driver

If you get into a car accident without insurance and you did something to cause the accident, you are going to be the party responsible for paying the damages, and this is in addition to any penalties you may face for simply driving without insurance.

• Stay at the scene of the accident.
• Do not state that you have insurance when you don’t.
• Wait for the police to take a report.
• Leave the accident scene after everything has been completed.

After You Leave the Car Accident Scene

Normally, after you leave the scene of an accident and get to a safe location, you would call your insurance company, but since you do not have insurance, you are simply forced to wait and figure out how you will pay for your car repairs and medical bills.

The other driver will file a claim with his or her insurance company. Since you don’t have insurance, the claim will be processed under the driver’s uninsured and underinsured motorists’ coverage.

However, this does not absolve you of financial responsibility.

Once the insurance company determines the other driver’s injuries and the necessary repairs to his or her vehicle, the insurance company can sue you for that amount.

This means that you will have to go to court or agree to a settlement. In both instances, you can probably work out a payment plan with the insurance company in order to pay off the accident-related debt.

What to Do if You Don’t Have a Current Insurance Policy

If you do not have a current insurance policy it is in your best interest to locate a new policy and purchase it before you drive again.

Thankfully, this can be accomplished quickly with the use of an auto insurance comparison tool.

Once you enter your information, the program will find all the available policies for you so that you can quickly buy a car insurance policy.

Use our comparison tool below to find cheap car insurance today!