Delaware Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Delaware Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & Answers
Q: Is auto insurance mandatory?
A: Yes, and here’s the lowdown for
vehicles registered in Delaware:
Only liability insurance policies
issued by companies licensed in the
State of Delaware are valid for a
vehicle registered in this state. No
reasonable facsimiles, fakes bought
from flakes, or insurance written in
any other states (including those
that are altered chemically or
otherwise) will work. Minimum
coverage for any one accident is:
-- $15,000 for bodily injury or
death of one person
-- $30,000 for bodily injury or
death of two or more persons
-- $10,000 for injury to or
destruction of property of others
Hiding your car in the bushes,
behind your house, or taking it with
you on one of your altered-state
"trips" doesn’t make any difference.
As long as there is a valid
registration, even if the vehicle is
off the road (or out of this world),
liability insurance must be in
effect at all times.
Q: Is Delaware a "no-fault" state?
A: No. Delaware is what is known as
an “add-on” state. In add-on states,
your own insurance company will take
care of your medical expenses in a
wreck (like in a no-fault state),
but there are no restrictions on
lawsuits (like in a tort state), so
getting your pants sued off (or
those of your insurance company) is
still a real possibility if you are
at fault. “Add-on” is a term used to
not only confuse you, but to say
that first-party (that’s you, the
policyholder and sometime-space
cadet) benefits have been “added-on”
to the traditional tort liability
system.
Q: What are the insurance
requirements for vehicles registered
out-of-state operating in Delaware?
A: Unless your traveling by astral
projection, you still have to have
liability insurance on your vehicle
whether or not it’s registered in
Delaware or some other state. An
out-of-state (do not confuse with
“out-of-body”) policy must be at
least the minimum for that state,
and if that state has no minimum,
then you need at least the 15/30/10
minimum required for vehicles
registered in Delaware. As of this
writing, there is no out-of-body
coverage requirement in the state of
Delaware.
Q: What if I fail to keep insurance
on my vehicle that I’ve registered
in Delaware?
A: Oh, boy. Are you in trouble now.
The fine is no less than $1,500 for
the first offense and $3,000 for
each subsequent offense within three
years. Your driver’s license will be
suspended, too. You may even lose
your right to astrally project.
Q: Do I have to surrender my plates
when I cancel my vehicle insurance?
A: Yes. No white flag is necessary,
but you do need to surrender your
plates to the Division before
canceling insurance for any reason
on vehicles with active
registrations. Take or mail your tag
to the nearest Delaware DMV office.
Tags will be returned at no charge
with proof of insurance and if the
registration has not expired. Tags
can be mailed to the Division along
with a note (and it doesn’t have to
be from your mother) explaining why
tags are being surrendered, for
example:
-- you plan on canceling the
liability insurance
-- you’ve sold the vehicle
-- the titled vehicle is in another
state
-- the vehicle has been or is going
to be junked
-- you travel now only by astral
projection
Mailing address:
Division of Motor Vehicles
Uninsured Motorist Section
P O Box 698
Dover DE 19903
Q: What can happen if I don’t
surrender my plates when I cancel my
insurance?
A: When the DMV gets wind of your
insurance cancellation via the
notice your insurance company has
sent it, you can be audited, which
is better than being interrupted
during an out-of-body astral
projection episode, but still, this
means you have to provide proof of
valid liability insurance from the
date of cancellation. If you were
not insured, you’re fined $100 per
vehicle for being insurance-less
from 1-30 days. An added $5 for each
day after the 30 days is tacked on
until those tags are turned in,
insurance is obtained, or the
registration tag expires – whether
you’re in your body or not.
Q: What must I do if DMV audits my
vehicle for proof of insurance?
A: Get a Delaware Insurance
Certification Form, FR-19, from your
insurance agent. The FR-19 certifies
that the vehicle has been
continuously insured since the
verification date, and that coverage
is presently in force. Be sure you
are not in an altered state when you
do this, so that when the form
arrives, you will know what it is,
and won’t have to depend on getting
information from whomever was in
that body left behind while you were
out lollygagging on the creek bank
during one of your astral projection
trips.
Q: What can happen if I don’t
respond to the DMV insurance audit?
A: Being out of your body will not
be a valid excuse for not responding
to an insurance audit from the DMV
-- unless they think you are out of
your mind, as well. Otherwise, your
vehicle registration and driver’s
license will be suspended. It will
then cost $50 for the registration
and $25 for the driver’s license to
be reinstated, plus the penalties
for lapsed insurance coverage (see
above – we can’t bear to write it
again).
Q: What should I do if I move?
A: Assuming you’re not referring to
going on one of your out-of-body
trips and not coming back, you need
to notify both your insurance
company and the DMV of your new
address. Blaming the post office for
not forwarding your mail won’t cut
it, and a lame excuse like that will
be regarded as dimly as the old
out-of-body thing. Your insurance
company and the DMV are only
required to send notices to the
address they have for you on their
current records, and if you don’t
respond to an audit, you will still
be held accountable and subject to
the consequences listed above. Make
sure your driver’s license and
vehicle registration always reflect
your current, in-body address.
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