Wyoming Insurance Quotes
Wyoming requires anyone operating a motor vehicle on the roads and highways of the state to have evidence of valid insurance. You'll need to provide this proof of coverage when you register your car.Wyoming is no longer a "no fault" state. Hence, if you are deemed responsible for causing an accident, then it is up to your insurance company to cover the costs. This might include not only your damages, but also the damages sustained by any other drivers involved in the accident.
Once the claims begin being filed, things can get murky. But the end result of you being judged at fault in a crash is usually that you'll have higher insurance rates in the future.
Minimum Liability
Wyoming law sets the minimum levels of liability coverage that motorists must maintain:
- $25,000 per person for bodily injury
- $50,000 per accident for bodily injury
- $20,000 per accident for property
Automotive liability is essentially the monetary umbrella you need to have in place if you have been held legally at fault for an accident. In most instances, you will see the above figures presented by insurance companies as 25/50/20. When you break down the numbers, it looks like this:
- The first number is what insurance will pay out per person injured in an accident.
- The second number is tied into the first and reflects the total injury payout available per accident. Thus, if an accident that you caused entailed more than two parties facing serious medical costs, a claims battle will ensue between those parties. Ultimately, if the $50,000 does not foot the bill, you may be sued in court for more money.
- The last number refers solely to property damage and how much per single accident the insurance will cover. This type of coverage reflects damage caused on a range of property types, from another driver's dented vehicle to houses, garages, light poles, and buildings.
Supplemental Insurance
There are plenty of other insurance policy upgrades available to protect you more substantially. These include:
Collision: Having this coverage protects your vehicle when it is damaged in a collision with any type of object or in an accident with another automobile. If a vehicle is financed, most likely the bank or lending company will require you to carry this type of insurance, essentially to protect its property while it is in your possession.
Comprehensive: This type of insurance is a bit like having a force-field surrounding your vehicle. It covers the loss of the vehicle or its contents due to theft. It also covers damage incurred without a collision (i.e. natural disasters like flood, hail, and earthquakes). It also pays out in case of vandalism.
Uninsured Motorists Insurance (UMI): This coverage is becoming more and more popular. People want to protect themselves from being stuck with exorbitant medical bills due to injury in an accident where the other driver is not packing any insurance. The coverage is also available to cover damage to your property.
Penalties and Fines
In Wyoming, the consequences of operating a vehicle without proof of insurance are relatively costly. A first offense is a misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $250 and a maximum fine of $750. Plus, there is the slight possibility of jail time.
A second offense is also a defined a misdemeanor, but the fine increases to a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $1,500. Again, there is a possibility you could also end up in jail.
It only gets worse from here, especially if you happen to injure another person or damage a vehicle in an accident and do not have insurance. This will tie you up in the court system for quite some time while you are being sued by the other party or parties. You'll have to also endure the penalties (both monetary and, depending on the case, involving jail time) by the judge. Plus, you most likely will be saying good-bye to your license for quite a long time.
