Car insurance maryland
Having a minimum insurance coverage is mandatory by the auto laws in Maryland like the other states in the U.S. while registering the vehicle in Maryland; you have to sign an insurance certification as a proof of your financial responsibility. The driver of the vehicle must produce a proof of him/her having the required insurance cover as and when required by the authorities.
Types of coverage available in Maryland:
Bodily injury liability- This covers for the damages and losses caused to other people and their vehicles due to you. This includes medical and hospital expenses, compensations for their bodily damages and income lost due to their inability to work till recovery.
Property damage liability- insurance cover for the damage and loss to the vehicle and other property of others.
Personal injury protection (PIP) PIP which provides cover for you and those traveling with you, for services that can be rendered necessary, within one year after the occurrence of the accident.
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UMBI) UMBI coverage ensures that your insurance provider compensates for those expenses that would have normally be covered by the other persons provider if you get injured due to an uninsured motorist.
Minimum car insurance cover required in Maryland
Maryland follows a no-fault system and requires every resident to have PIP and liability insurance. In Maryland, the minimum liability requirements are 20/40/15, which means that one must have a minimum coverage of $20,000 for an injured individual, $40,000 for all the injured persons in the accident and $15,000 for the damage of property resulting due to the accident caused by the insured.
Those drivers, who dont have sufficient health coverage, should have personal injury protection (PIP) coverage worth a minimum of $2,500. To be on the safer side, it would be better that other passengers in the vehicle also carry PIP coverage.
A UMBI (uninsured motorist bodily injury protection coverage) is also required which should be worth a minimum of 20/40/15, which means $20,000 for a single person, $40,000 for all the injured persons combined and $15,000 against damage of property if the faulty driver have either no insurance at all or is underinsured.
Car insurance costs in Maryland
It has been found that on an average, a driver in Maryland spends $891 per year on auto insurance which puts Maryland in 15h place in the list of most expensive states of the country. It is seen that a driver in Maryland on an average spends $524 on liability coverage, $313.5 on collision coverage and $141 on comprehensive coverage. The major factors that affect the auto insurance costs in Maryland are the age and marital status of the driver, type of vehicle and record of the driver.
Penalties and fines
In the event of you failing to produce the proof of valid car insurance to the concerned authority, you may be exposed to the following penalties as per the situation.
You may have to pay fees of up to $150 for the first 30 days and $7 per day for every day that follows before you provide the proof of you having enough auto insurance.
The registration of your car and the license may get revoked.
You may be given jail sentence for up to a year or a fine of up to $1,000 if you are found to have produced a fake proof of financial responsibility.
You may not be able to register another car before you have cleared all your pending fines.
Major car insurance providers in Maryland
1. State Farm
2. Esurance
3. GEICO
4. GMAC
5. 21st century
6. SafeCo
7. Allstate
8. Unitrin Direct
For queries related to car insurance in Maryland, the following may be contacted.
Maryland Insurance Administration
525 St.Paul place
Baltimore, MD 21202-2272
Phone: (410) 468-2000