Minnesota Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Minnesota Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & AnswersQ: Is
auto insurance mandatory?
A: The Minnesota No-Fault Act requires owners of
registered motor vehicles in The Gopher State to
maintain no-fault insurance. This law makes it a
crime for a vehicle owner, gopher, or anyone who
just looks like a gopher to operate or permit
operation of any uninsured motor vehicle or
motorcycle upon any public road, street, or highway.
Violation of the law can result in fines or
imprisonment and/or loss of driving privileges.
Minnesota law also requires drivers to carry proof
of insurance in the vehicle at all times and to
provide it to peace officers upon demand or risk
getting your gopher-looking self put in the pokey.
Q: Is Minnesota a “no-fault" state?
A: Yes. Many drivers believe that their insurance
company will cover ALL losses in an accident,
regardless of who was trying to avoid the gopher
crossing the road and caused the wreck. But
“no-fault” coverage applies ONLY to expenses
resulting from injuries sustained in an accident.
No-fault covers your medical costs, wage loss,
replacement services such as housekeeping, and in
the event of death, $2,000 of funeral expenses –
but, sadly, this does not apply to gophers.
Q: What type of insurance is required to purchase
and maintain a Minnesota tag and registration?
A: Minnesota requires all licensed vehicles to have
PIP, Liability, Uninsured, and Underinsured coverage
in the following amounts:
-- Personal Injury Protection (PIP) $40,000 per
person per accident ($20,000 for hospital/medical
expenses and $20,000 for non-medical expenses such
as lost wages, replacement services, etc.)
-- Liability $30,000 for injuries to one person,
$60,000 for injuries to two or more people, and
$10,000 for physical damage to the other driver’s
vehicle or for damage to property that gophers
haven’t already destroyed
-- Uninsured $25,000 for injuries to one person,
$50,000 for injuries to two or more people
-- Underinsured $25,000 for injuries to one person,
$50,000 for injuries to two or more people
Q: Who all is covered by my policy?
A: You, of course, are covered by the policy in your
name. Any relative living in your home, who does not
have a policy of his or her own, is covered by your
policy, and this includes your spouse, children, or
any other minor in your custody or in the custody of
a relative. A driver using your car with your
permission and not covered by another policy is
covered by your policy. Gophers are not covered
unless they are driving your car – with your
permission.
Q: Can I maintain my current policy issued in my
previous state of residence?
A: No, but you have 60 days to decide whether or not
you want to live here in The Gopher State or not. If
you decide you really want to live with all these
gophers, you have this time to register your
passenger vans and ¾-ton-or-less pickups,
motorcycles, utility trailers, or house trailers so
long as the license plates displayed on the vehicle
are current, and there aren’t any gophers
permanently embedded into them from long drives you
may have taken. If your registration in your
previous state expires before the 60-day period is
up, get out your high-pressure water hose and do the
best you can -- you must obtain Minnesota
registration immediately.
Q: What if I fail to keep insurance on my vehicle
that I’ve registered in Minnesota?
A: If you fail to maintain your auto insurance and
you get caught, you may be subject to the release of
a whole passel of gophers in your yard, or your
driver’s license could get suspended for the
following periods:
-- 30 days, if the person has no other convictions
within a five-year
period
-- 90 days, if the person has been convicted two
times within a five-year period
-- 180 days, if the person has been convicted three
times within a five-year period
-- one year, if the person has been convicted four
or more times within a five-year period
Q: Is random insurance sampling something I need to
be concerned about?
A: Not if you keep your insurance in effect. DVS
randomly samples vehicle owners for insurance
information, and drivers who fail to respond to the
request, provide false information, or who do not
have insurance on the vehicles they drive will have
their driver's license suspended and may then be
subject to urine sampling -- especially if they look
like a gopher.
Each month, approximately 7,000 Minnesota drivers
receive letters requesting insurance information on
the vehicles currently registered in their names.
Half of the drivers in each month's mailing are
persons convicted of one or more of the following
violations during the previous year:
-- At least one vehicle insurance law violation
-- Habitual violation of traffic laws leading to
license suspension or revocation
-- No proof of insurance in effect at the time of a
reportable crash
-- Alcohol-related motor vehicle conviction
So just keep your insurance paid up and the gophers
out of your car grille, and in Minnesota, you’ll be
fine and dandy.
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