Utah Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Utah Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & AnswersQ: Is
auto insurance mandatory?
A: When Brigham Young once said “This is the
place,” he may have been foretelling the future of
where insurance shirkers would be shirking
insurance, which happens often enough that Utah law
requires motorists to carry proof of insurance and
present it to any law enforcement officer upon
request. In addition, although the mountains and
canyons of Utah once served as ideal hiding places
for Butch Cassidy and those of his ilk in the past,
you can’t hide from the Utah authorities any longer.
Utah compares motor vehicle registration file
against a database of insurance policies written to
Utah residents. When it’s discovered that a
Utah-registered vehicle does not have a
corresponding insurance policy, a notice is sent
requiring these wannabe outlaws to provide proof of
insurance.
Q: Is Utah a "no-fault" state?
A: You bet ‘cher boots. The no-fault system
is intended to lower the cost of auto insurance by
taking small claims out of the Utah courts. Each
insurance company compensates its own policyholders
for the cost of minor injuries regardless of who
thought he was being pursued by a posse and hit the
guy driving next to him.
Q: What type of insurance is required to purchase
and maintain a Utah tag and registration?
A: Utah’s minimum coverage requirements are
25/50/15, which means coverage up to $50,000 for all
persons injured in an accident, subject to a limit
of $25,000 for one individual, and $15,000 coverage
for all the damage you did when, in your Butch
Cassidy fantasy, you roared down the highway
whooping, honking your horn, and firing off your
popgun, and scared the wits out of the driver in
front of you, causing a major pile-up even out in
the middle of nowhere.
Although proof is not required at time of
registration, the law requires motorists to carry
proof of insurance and present it to any law
enforcement officer upon request, which if you did
the above, you can be sure as shootin’ it’s gonna
happen.
Q: Can I maintain my current policy issued in my
previous state of residence?
A: No. If your vehicle is registered in Utah
then you must have an insurance policy that is
issued through a Utah agent with an insurance
company licensed to sell in Utah. If there is
something unclear about this, please contact your
agent.
Q: I am not a resident of Utah but I visit for
several months during the year. Do I need Utah
insurance?
A: As long as you’re not the kind who likes
to play outlaw (or really are one), you can stay for
90 days. Then, time to pay up or saddle up.
Exceptions: Nonresident students who pay nonresident
tuition, certain military personnel, temporary
workers and individuals temporarily in Utah engaged
in public or charitable service may be exempt from
registering and insuring vehicles in Utah.
For vehicle registration and insurance purposes, a
resident is anyone who engages in a trade,
profession, occupation or gainful
employment in Utah for more than sixty days. Sorry –
no outlaws allowed.
Q: What if I fail to keep insurance on my vehicle
that I’ve registered in Utah?
A: If you’re convicted in a court or found
through a Department of Public Safety (DPS)
administrative hearing to have been operating a
motor vehicle without insurance, the DMV may suspend
your vehicle's registration and take away your
popgun.
Failure to provide insurance or operator's security
is a Class B misdemeanor, for which the fine may not
be less than $400 for a first offense; and $1,000
for a second and subsequent offense within three
years of a previous conviction or bail forfeiture.
Q: If my registration is suspended due to failure
to provide proof of insurance, how do I get it
reinstated?
A: To reinstate vehicle registration, the
owner must:
-- Present the vehicle's title or registration card.
-- Present picture identification.
-- Present a current form SR-22, a current insurance
policy, binder, or declaration.
-- Pay a $100 reinstatement fee.
-- Present your popgun for dismantling.
The law requires DPS to maintain proof of your
owner's security for a three-year period and you
must notify DPS if you fall off the wagon somehow
and the policy is terminated. If you’ve been
convicted under this law and terminate your
insurance, you must surrender your driver license
and the new popgun you’re using to DPS.
If you’ve canceled the certificate of insurance and
apply for a driver’s license within three years from
the date that the state originally required proof of
owner's security, DPS is required to obtain proof of
owner's security before reissuing your license. DPS
must maintain the proof of the security for the
remainder of the three-year period, and they will
also hang onto your popgun.
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