Maryland Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Maryland Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & AnswersQ: Is auto insurance mandatory?
A: With the Astrodon Johnstoni officially named as
The Sailing Capital of the World’s state dinosaur
and milk as the state drink, it is apparent the
Maryland state legislature has a lot of important
things on its mind, including auto insurance, which
is, indeed, mandatory.
Q: Is Maryland a "no-fault" state?
A: Maryland is considered an “add-on” state. In
add-on states, drivers receive compensation from
their own insurance company as they do in no-fault
states, but there are no restrictions on lawsuits.
The term “add-on” is used because in these states,
first-party benefits have been added on to the
traditional tort liability system. In add-on states,
first-party coverage may not be mandatory and the
benefits may be lower than in true no-fault states.
While this pales in comparison to the Astrodon
Johnstoni news, it is important you know this when
purchasing insurance in Maryland and before you go
sailing down the road. But you’re cool if all you’re
doing is sitting on your dinosaur drinking milk.
Q: What are the insurance requirements in Maryland?
A: Maryland law requires the following insurance on
your vehicle:
1. Liability insurance, which pays the other party
for personal injury, death, or property damage
caused by you when trying to avoid that slow-moving
Astrodon Johnstoni as you sail down the road
drinking your milk and wind up hitting another
vehicle. You must carry a minimum of $20,000 for
bodily injury per person, $40,000 for bodily injury
for two or more people, and $15,000 for property
damage. If you do hit the dinosaur, there is a
chance you may be fined for that as well, depending
on what was in that milk you were drinking. As for
the sailing part, it depends on just how fast you
were going.
2. Uninsured motorist coverage pays damages, after
any applicable deductible that is caused by an
uninsured motorist to you. You must carry a minimum
of $20,000 for bodily injury per person, $40,000 for
bodily injury or two or more people, and $15,000 for
property damage. This requirement is to protect you
against those other drivers who might be drinking
their milk spiked while watching for dinosaurs
instead of taking care of their insurance business.
3. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage
provides benefits for medical, hospital and
disability up to $2,500 for all reasonable expenses
arising out of an accident. Note: Full PIP provides
benefits for you, any member of your family, and any
non-family occupant of your vehicle (except
dinosaurs). You may also choose limited PIP, which
excludes benefits for you and members of your family
age 16 and over. This alternative costs less and
should be considered if you already have medical and
hospitalization insurance and have taken an oath to
stop drinking milk while watching for dinosaurs on
the road.
As yet, there are no insurance requirements for the
Astrodon Johnstoni as a vehicle, a driver, or as a
large object upon which a driver could inflict
damage, but you’ll want to keep an eye out for him
anyway. He is the state dinosaur, after all. Just
lay off the milk while you’re driving.
Q: As a new resident of Maryland how long do I have
to register my vehicle?
A: Unless you’re hopping on your Astrodon Johnstoni
to sail on down to the grocery store for more milk,
as a new resident of Maryland you must register your
vehicle within 60 days of moving to Maryland. If you
delay beyond 60 days, you will not be eligible for a
tax credit for any titling tax paid in another
state, and you may be subject to a citation for an
out-of-state registration. They also may question
you as to what you’re doing with that dinosaur.
Q: What if I fail to keep insurance on my vehicle
that I’ve registered in Maryland?
A: Although Maryland is the Sailing Capital of the
World, Maryland law penalizes uninsured motorists
for sailing on its highways or roads without
insurance. The fines are $150 for the first month of
driving without insurance and $7 each day
thereafter. To ensure insurance coverage, motorists
should never cancel insurance on any sold or
disposed of vehicle until after the license plates
have been returned to the Motor Vehicle
Administration (MVA). The MVA will give the motorist
a receipt when the license plates are returned. It
is the motorist’s best proof the law of Maryland has
been followed. Otherwise you’ll be stuck trying to
get around with that slow-moving dinosaur.
Q: An uninsured motorist hit me. Do I have any
recourse?
A: You can report the accident to your local
law enforcement agency and then file a complaint
with the Insurance Compliance Division (ICD) of the
MVA Glen Burnie Office. Or you can sic your Astrodon
Johnstoni on him.
Prepare your complaint in writing, either in a
letter or using the complaint form found online at
http://www.marylandmva.com/OnlineServ/DOCS/ICD-034.
Submit it to the Insurance Compliance Division (ICD)
of the MVA in person, by mail, by fax, or by
dinosaur to: Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration,
Insurance Compliance Division, 6601 Ritchie Highway
NE, Glen Burnie, MD 21062. The fax number is
1-410-424-3050.
The MVA will send you an acknowledgment letter
indicating whether or not the MVA can take any
action against the vehicle owner.
The MVA also will send a request for proof of
insurance to the vehicle owner about whom you
complained. If proof of insurance is not received by
the MVA within 30 days, the vehicle owner's
registration privileges will be suspended.
Additional actions may be taken if the vehicle owner
still fails to respond.
Fees:
-- The fine amount is $150.00 for a lapse period of
1 to 30 days.
-- If the lapse period exceeds 30 days, the fine
amount is $150.00 plus $7.00 for each additional day
beyond the 30th day.
-- A surcharge equal to 17% of the fine is assessed
by the Central Collection Unit (CCU) and added when
the UMC case is referred to the CCU for a failure to
pay.
-- The 17% surcharge assessed by CCU is not applied
if the case is voluntarily referred to the CCU in
order for the owner to establish a payment plan.
However, if the vehicle owner or co-owner defaults
on the payment plan, the 17% surcharge is applied to
the remaining balance due at the time of default.
-- The fee for withdrawing the suspension is $5.00.
-- Dinosaur-riding and milk-drinking privileges may
be suspended until proof of insurance is supplied.
Q: I may be moving to another state. Do I need to
return my Maryland registration plates prior to
canceling my vehicle insurance?
A: Yes, you must return your registration
plates and your registration card (but please take
your dinosaur with you) before canceling your
vehicle's insurance coverage. Failure to do so may
result in a compulsory insurance violation and a BIG
fine. You can return license plates by:
-- Returning them in person to any MVA office or MVA-authorized
tag and title service
-- Dropping them in a MVA license plate return drop
box located at the Glen Burnie, Gaithersburg,
Columbia, Towson, Salisbury and Frederick offices
-- Mailing them to the Glen Burnie MVA office (see
address above)
Due to reports by some milk-drinking postal carriers
of their vehicles being hijacked by rogue dinosaurs,
certified mail with return receipt requested is
recommended..
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