Like most states, Delaware requires drivers to have certain minimum car insurance limits. In addition, the state permits drivers to obtain collision and uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) insurance.
Drivers who don’t have car insurance face significant penalties. Typically, first-time offenders will pay a fine and may have their license suspended or revoked.
Minimum Required Coverage
In Delaware, it’s illegal to drive without car insurance. Drivers who do so face harsh penalties, including fines and a potential six-month suspension of their driving privileges. In addition, a person who gets behind the wheel without insurance will likely have to pay out of pocket for any damage to other people or their cars.
Drivers must hold liability insurance for property damage and personal injury, with minimum limits of $50,000 per accident and $25,000 per person. It also requires all drivers to purchase personal injury protection (PIP). It is a no-fault policy that pays for an injured driver and their passengers’ medical expenses, regardless of who caused the accident.
Like in most states, insurance follows the vehicle rather than the driver. It means that if you let someone borrow your car and they cause an accident, your liability insurance will pay for the damages, not theirs. Many experts recommend adding coverage above and beyond the legal minimums to protect you.
Moving Over
When you get a quote for auto insurance Newark, DE, your rate will be computed based on various factors. Personal details such as age, postal code, credit score, and driving history will all be factored in.
Up to the policy limitations, bodily injury liability pays for the medical costs of other people involved in an accident you cause. High limits are essential; even moderate injuries can quickly exhaust your limit.
Moving over protects those who are pulled over on the side of the road in an emergency vehicle. The new law is an extension of existing “move over” rules that require drivers to change lanes or reduce speed when approaching police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and other vehicles stopped on the shoulder.
Property damage coverage safeguards your assets when you’re legally responsible for an accident resulting in physical damage to another person’s property (subject to your policy’s deductible). This type of coverage also helps cover the cost of repairing your vehicle when damaged by non-collision-related incidents such as theft, vandalism, and glass breakage.
Seat Belts
Seat belts are a tremendous life-saving invention. They prevent people from being ejected in crashes that cause fatal injuries. In 2004, seat belt use prevented 15,200 deaths.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration annually promotes driver and passenger seatbelt usage with the “Click it or Ticket” campaign. Almost all states have laws requiring adult front-seat and rear-seat passengers to wear seat belts. Most states also require children under age 8 to be secured in a child safety seat.
Some states have primary enforcement laws that allow police to stop and cite motorists solely for not wearing their seat belts. Other states have secondary enforcement laws that only permit officers to stop a driver for seat belt violations after pulling them over for their offense.
Driving Under the Influence
Imagine you are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In that case, you must obtain an SR-22 from your insurance company and maintain minimum liability coverage to reinstate your driver’s license. An SR 22 is an administrative form that attests to your insurance company’s coverage and proves compliance with state requirements.
Besides liability insurance, drivers must have personal injury protection (PIP) coverage of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident. PIP is a kind of auto insurance that, regardless of who caused the collision, pays for other bills and medical expenses.
Liability insurance is a minimum requirement, but many drivers choose higher limits to protect their assets. Other optional coverage includes collision, which covers the physical damage to your vehicle, and comprehensive, which helps pay for weather-related damages and theft. It is also a good idea to include uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which helps cover your losses if you’re injured by a driver who doesn’t have or doesn’t have enough auto insurance coverage.
