Current Events > Can I get in trouble for being uninsured for a car I don't use?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Been at home so why even insure it? We have two cars and if I unsure it, it will be be 60 dollars cheaper.

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As long as you don't drive it

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Turbam posted...

As long as you don't drive it

That's what I thought but when I read online everyhting is saying that as long as it's registered it needs it be insured.

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Your state might expect you to send your plates in if you drop insurance.

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Relient_K posted...

Your state might expect you to send your plates in if you drop insurance.

Is there a way they would know?

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Possibly, but honestly you should keep coverage on it. If there's an emergency and you need to drive it you want to have coverage in place. Also comprehensive coverage in-case something happens while it's parked.

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MC_BatCommander posted...

Possibly, but honestly you should keep coverage on it. If there's an emergency and you need to drive it you want to have coverage in place. Also comprehensive coverage in-case something happens while it's parked.

We will drive it maybe like 2 times or less this month and next month saving 120 bucks at this time is needed.
Ill have it parked in my garage.

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MC_BatCommander posted...

Also comprehensive coverage in-case something happens while it's parked.

No. He doesn't need comprehensive fucking coverage for a car he isn't using.

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ConfessPlease posted...

We will drive it maybe like 2 times or less this month and next month saving 120 bucks at this time is needed.
Ill have it parked in my garage.

So you're admitting you're going to drive an uninsured car? Lmfao
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Orlando_Jordan posted...

No. He doesn't need comprehensive fucking coverage for a car he isn't using.

Good luck getting any money if your car gets stolen then
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check state. only 2 states in the country seem to not require car insurance. however, all states have drivers responsible for damages caused by the driver.

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Orlando_Jordan posted...

No. He doesn't need comprehensive fucking coverage for a car he isn't using.

Learn what comprehensive coverage is then re-evaluate what you said.

https://www.allstate.com/tr/car-insurance/what-is-comprehensive-auto-insurance.aspx

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If you keep it in a garage than I'd say no, but if it's parked in a driveway or street definitely have insurance.
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A lot of states will send registered vehicle owners a letter demanding proof you had insurance on such-and-such previous date. When I got mine I had to show I was insured 3 months previous to getting the letter.

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Isn't it better to... not cancel it/let it lapse though? I thought it is cheaper in the long-term to just keep paying for coverage even if you reduce it to an absolute minimum.

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Hexenherz posted...

Isn't it better to... not cancel it/let it lapse though? I thought it is cheaper in the long-term to just keep paying for coverage even if you reduce it to an absolute minimum.

This too.

TC, ask your insurer if they can put the car on comprehensive only. That way it's still on the policy and there is coverage if something happens to it while parked. This is usually super cheap too.

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voldothegr8 posted...

If you keep it in a garage than I'd say no, but if it's parked in a driveway or street definitely have insurance.

If it's parked in your garage and your garage burns down there is a 99% chance you're getting $0 for any vehicle parked inside it without comprehensive insurance coverage.
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ConfessPlease posted...

Been at home so why even insure it? We have two cars and if I unsure it, it will be be 60 dollars cheaper.

If the car will never leave your property you need to change the registration to one that is cheaper and will let you uninsure it.

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Have you guys ever like, paid your car off?
TC just pay for fucking liability. It's cheap and you'll be able to drive whenever.

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Depending where you are you may get retroactively charged a penalty for having a gap in insurance coverage. Doesn't matter whether you drove it or not, if it's registered it needs to be insured.

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It depends on how you have it registered at the DMV. If its registered as operational then you'll need insurance. In some cases if its found that you don't have full coverage on it the DMV or your loan company will force it on you causing your payment or loan to increase or you'll be charged a monthly penalty until you obtain insurance and provide proof. You can register it as non-operational and as long as you never get caught driving it you'll be fine. Its also like $200 cheaper. This is how it is for a lot of states but I'm not sure if you live in one that could be drastically different..

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TC really needs to mention what state he's in

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BignutzisBack posted...

TC really needs to mention what state he's in

I mean state is largely irrelevant here, even if they live somewhere where they can doesn't mean they should.
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Ask if you can get a comprehensive-only plan

Bio1590 posted...

I mean state is largely irrelevant here

As someone who literally works for an insurance company as an auto claims representative, lol no. The state is very relevant to this and could clear up a lot of things if TC would let us know.

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Most states will put a flag on your license for not having car insurance and you wont be able to renew it until you pay to have the flag removed (which is usually expensive). Also some cops are able to run license plates if they end up behind you and once they run it, it could come back showing you dont have insurance and then you get a ticket to go on top of the flag.

And then finally, if you have a car note, your lender will force place insurance on it if you don't have your own. This usually doesnt include liability so you still get the flag on your license and a ticket if you get pulled over, but also your car notes get jacked way up.

So yeah, probably not a good idea to not have insurance. If you really arent driving it then turn the plates in and then cancel the insurance
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Insurance is a fucking scam.

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It depends on your state's law, but if you are in a mandatory state your auto insurer communicates with the RMV within days of your policy being discontinued. If base insurance is required to maintain a registration, then the RMV will send you a notice that your registration will be canceled within X days unless you provide proof of insurance. Cancelling the registration is an option for long-term storage but it still costs money to reactive your registration and you will not have comprehensive coverage in case there is a non-driving accident (Fire, roof collapse, animal destroys something, theft, ect.).

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Bio1590 posted...

So you're admitting you're going to drive an uninsured car? Lmfao

No I'm saying if we keep it insured I'll probably drive it a couple of times. If it's uninsured I probably would force myself not to.

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Chicken posted...

Insurance is a fucking scam.

Please do explain
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ConfessPlease posted...

Bio1590 posted...

So you're admitting you're going to drive an uninsured car? Lmfao

No I'm saying if we keep it insured I'll probably drive it a couple of times. If it's uninsured I probably would force myself not to.

If you want to not pay insurance, turn in your plates to the DMV first so you won't get any flags for it. You should be good after that.
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Bio1590 posted...

If it's parked in your garage and your garage burns down there is a 99% chance you're getting $0 for any vehicle parked inside it without comprehensive insurance coverage.

My vehicle is probably worth onlu like 3 or 4 grand. If my garage burns down, I have bigger issues. Also wouldn't my house insurance cover this?

I'm in washington


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WaterLink posted...

If you want to not pay insurance, turn in your plates to the DMV first so you won't get any flags for it. You should be good after that.

So turn them in for 2 or 3 months? Just seems kind of dumb

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BignutzisBack posted...

As someone who literally works for an insurance company as an auto claims representative, lol no. The state is very relevant to this and could clear up a lot of things if TC would let us know.

State is very relevant but what VipaGTS said in post #22 is largely accurate regardless of state.

Even if a state allows you to have gaps in insurance, you can save further money by changing the registration to one that explicitly allows you to have no insurance.

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Your home insurance would cover the garage (provided it's attached to the house, or you have enough "other structures" coverage if it's unattached) but it won't cover your car.
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WaterLink posted...

Please do explain

Car insurance is just paying to not get a ticket for not having it.

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ConfessPlease posted...

My vehicle is probably worth onlu like 3 or 4 grand. If my garage burns down, I have bigger issues. Also wouldn't my house insurance cover this?

I'm in washington

Nah homeowners insurance will never extend to an auto, even if the car is damaged by whatever destroys / damages the home.

I think there might be an exception in some cases for golf carts or some shit

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WaterLink posted...

Your home insurance would cover the garage (provided it's attached to the house, or you have enough "other structures" coverage if it's unattached) but it won't cover your car.

You can get a rider for your car. Insurance companies will insure literally fucking anything if you pay them to.

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ConfessPlease posted...

WaterLink posted...

If you want to not pay insurance, turn in your plates to the DMV first so you won't get any flags for it. You should be good after that.

So turn them in for 2 or 3 months? Just seems kind of dumb

Well if you don't you're probably going to have a flag on your license/registration that's going to cost about as much if not more to remove than what you would save by not paying insurance for a couple of months.

It seems dumb but if it's registered in the DMV they're assuming you're using it and if there's no insurance for it, they're going to assume you're using it without insurance and they're gonna flag you for it, whether you're actually using it or not. Turning in your plates is how you show the state you aren't using the vehicle.

Not familiar with the laws in Washington but that's just how things are in most states
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Irony posted...

WaterLink posted...

Please do explain

Car insurance is just paying to not get a ticket for not having it.

No, it's making sure that if someone needs to go to the hospital for getting in a wreck that it can be paid for. And in the case of loan lenders that are financing the car, that they can get the money they put up back if something happens to the car.

It isnt just some arbitrary thing they decided to do. Your average driver doesnt have enough money to cover that stuff out of pocket, hence insurance.
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Irony posted...

Car insurance is just paying to not get a ticket for not having it.

I disagree tbh. My sister-in-law's idiot boyfriend wrecked his car while driving uninsured. If he had insurance he would've been able to repair his vehicle and the vehicle he hit. Instead he's now like $7,000 in debt for the damages he caused to the other car.

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I use metromile and pay 17-22 a month since I don't drive a lot. It's a base pay of $15/mo and however many miles I drive.


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Irony posted...

Car insurance is just paying to not get a ticket for not having it.

This is the kind of thing someone who only ever gets liability and then complains they won't pay anything when they rear end someone else would say.

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MC_BatCommander posted...

I disagree tbh. My sister-in-law's idiot boyfriend wrecked his car while driving uninsured. If he had insurance he would've been able to repair his vehicle and the vehicle he hit. Instead he's now like $7,000 in debt for the damages he caused to the other car.

And it could have been significantly worse for him if he had killed anyone.
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Bio1590 posted...

And it could have been significantly worse for him if he had killed anyone.

If you kill someone you're fucked no matter what. They didn't even offer me the kind of policy I'd need to pay for the insane shit that would follow. The best one I could get was 500/300. If I killed someone I could be on the hook for a million or more.

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Bio1590 posted...

And it could have been significantly worse for him if he had killed anyone.

Oh yeah I shudder to think about the medical bills I'd have to pay for even if I gave someone minor injuries. Emergency room visits alone can costs thousands.

Tyranthraxus posted...

If you kill someone you're fucked no matter what. They didn't even offer me the kind of policy I'd need to pay for the insane shit that would follow. The best one I could get was 500/300. If I killed someone I could be on the hook for a million or more.

Personal umbrella policies help you prepare for that unlikely event. I have 500/500 on my auto and a $1M umbrella on top of that.

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Yeah there's always an umbrella policy. They're typically pretty cheap too.
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WaterLink posted...

Yeah there's always an umbrella policy. They're typically pretty cheap too.

If they're cheap I might look into it. I mean there would probably be a lot of other bullshit I'd have to deal with if I killed someone that would be really stressful but not having to also worry about money would help a lot.

Obviously, it's best to just drive safely as possible. The statistics for these kinds of things are so low that it puts out this kind of feeling that it only happens to "other people" until one day you're one of the other people.

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