Arizona Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Arizona Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & Answers
Q: Is auto insurance
mandatory?
A: In Arizona, everything
motorized that's operated on the
road better
be covered by liability insurance at
the state’s minimum levels of
15/30/10 ($15,000 bodily injury
liability for one person and $30,000
for
two or more persons $10,000 property
damage liability) – or else! And
this includes golf carts,
motorcycles, and mopeds. (You might
even check
with your agent to make sure those
inline skates you’ve put an engine
on
during a streak of creative genius
shouldn’t be covered, too.) You’ve
got to go through a company licensed
to sell insurance in Arizona,
though. The state just won’t accept
those $5 policies you get from the
guy in sunglasses down at the flea
market.
Q: Is Arizona a "tort" state?
A: Yes. This means there are
no restrictions on lawsuits in
Arizona. The
other driver and the other driver’s
passengers for the pain and
suffering the accident you caused as
well as for any out-of-pocket
expenses such as medical costs can
sue a policyholder at fault in a car
crash. Tip for remembering: “Tort”
rhymes with “court.” Hopefully, the
brains fairy bonked you on the head
when you were born, and you are
smart enough to have your proof of
financial responsibility (your
liability insurance) if this happens
to you. Besides all that, it’s the
law.
Q: What type of insurance is
required to purchase and maintain an
Arizona tag and registration?
A: Arizona’s minimum coverage
is 15/30/10 (see above for
explanation of
these not-as-cryptic-as-they-seem
numbers), and must be kept valid in
order to keep your tag and
registration from being suspended if
you plan
to actually drive that new buggy. If
you don’t plan on driving it for
awhile and don’t want to fork out
the moolah for insurance, you can
get
a De-Insured Certificate to keep
your tag and registration from
getting
suspended. Info about this can be
found at
http://www.dot.state.az.us/mvd/vehicle/DeInsuredCertificate/DeInsuredCertificate.htm
or you can call up your local DMV,
and the nice lady (or man) who
answers the phone will be glad to
cheerfully explain all that to you.
Well, maybe not nicely or
cheerfully, but at least it’ll get
explained
to you.
Q: Can I maintain my current
policy issued in my previous state
of
residence?
A: No. A company licensed to
do business in this state must
insure all
vehicles registered in Arizona. So,
unless you lead a double life as a
secret agent and need to keep that
other state’s insurance because you
go back there frequently to take
care of all your spy job stuff, you
need to let go of your previous
insurance there and get some from
the
Grand Canyon State.
Q: What if I fail to keep
insurance on my vehicle that I’ve
registered
in Arizona?
A: Failure to maintain proper
insurance could lead to the
suspension of
your vehicle registration and/or
driver license, and if the judge is
in
a bad mood, you might be forced to
take that mule ride down to the
bottom of the Grand Canyon. To get
these privileges reinstated, fees
and
future proof of financial
responsibility (usually an SR22
form) must be
filed with the Arizona Motor Vehicle
Division. We’re talking expensive
here, since the law requires the
owner to carry the SR22 for three
years
from the date of suspension, so to
save yourself a lot of grief and a
possible sore backside, get the
insurance.
Q: I am not a resident of
Arizona, but I visit for several
months during
the year. Do I need Arizona
insurance?
A: It depends. If you are
driving around in Arizona for seven
or more
months, yep, you gotta get
state-sanctioned insurance. At seven
months,
you’re considered a resident, and
all that stuff residents have to do,
well, now, you do, too. Like get an
Arizona driver’s license, get an
Arizona registration, get an Arizona
sunburn, etc. . . .
Q: I own several vehicles but do
not operate some of them. Do I need
insurance for the inoperative ones?
A: If you want to keep the
registrations current on them, you
can get
out of buying insurance by getting
De-Insured Certificates for them
(see
link above). If you don’t keep your
registrations, and if you ever want
to drive them again, you will have
to get them re-registered and
provide
your proof of insurance. Of course,
if they are only being used as yard
art, you don’t have to do anything
except deal with the nasty notes
your
neighbors leave on your door.
Q: How can I own a vehicle and
not need insurance?
A: De-insurance is a way of
not maintaining the required
insurance –
temporarily – on the vehicle until
it is ready to be driven again. Like
if you were restoring an antique car
or something like that or want to
set up your car as yard art (see
above) for awhile, but you want to
reserve the right to be able to
drive them again someday. A
de-insured
vehicle will not be suspended due to
lack of insurance unless it is
driven again. To de-insure your
vehicle online, go to the link
mentioned
above. It only takes two business
days for the MVD to get the info on
your vehicle’s record, so relax,
kick back, and think about how much
money you’re going to save on
insurance – but don’t drive that
car!
|
