Auto Coverage in Utah
Utah Auto Insurance
Drivers in Utah are required to keep auto insurance with them in their cars while driving. Utah residents are also required to maintain certain minimum coverage levels in order to protect themselves and others who may have been harmed financially and physically in an auto accident.
Minimum Utah auto insurance
The state of Utah requires that all drivers have at least the following amounts in liability coverage, but these are only minimum requirements, so you may wish to purchase higher coverage:
- Bodily Injury and Death: $25,000 to cover one person in any one accident, and $65,000 to cover all injuries
- Property Damages: $15,000
- Personal Injury Protection: $3,000
The amount of total bodily injury coverage, along with the requirement for personal injury protection, makes Utah a more demanding state in terms of its minimum requirements than many other states. In fact, the total amount of $65 ,000 in bodily injury coverage was recently increased in early 2009 (from a previous amount of $50,000).
Even if you're a perfect driver, you'll want to carry enough insurance to cover you in case of an accident , because Utah follows a no-fault system. This means that, in a collision, all drivers will have to pay for their own damages – no matter who was at fault for causing the accident.
Penalties without Utah auto insurance
If you are caught driving in the state of Utah without auto insurance, you can be charged with Class B misdemeanor, plus a $400 fine, and you can also lose your driving privileges. If you're caught a second time, you'll face an even higher fine of $1,000.
This can happen if your insurance notifies the state that you have let your insurance lapse, if you're pulled over by a police officer, or if you're involved in an accident. In addition, Utah does a random sampling to check whether drivers are insured – so if your name and vehicle registration are pulled by the DMV, and they find you uninsured, then you will also face the penalties.