Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Massachusetts
| type of Offense | License and/or Registration Suspended ? | jail Time ? | SR-22 Required ? | Maximum Fines & Fees |
| No Proof of Insurance ( Can Prove Coverage ) | No | No | No | $ 25 mandatary tip |
| 1st Offense With No Coverage | Yes, license | up to 1 class | No | Up to $ 1,000 |
| repeat Offense ( No Coverage ) | Yes, license | astir to 1 year | No | $ 500- $ 5,000 |
not having car indemnity and not being able to prove that you have it are two different violations. If you have insurance but can not prove it when you get pulled over or at the view of an accident, you are guilty of an “ administrative rape, ” similar to a seat-belt ticket. In Massachusetts, your quotation might be dismissed if you can provide the woo with validation of valid insurance for the date of the citation within 20 days. Driving without car insurance at all is much more serious, and the penalties are more dangerous. In accession to the legal consequences, you can besides expect your car indemnity premium to go up. A individual conviction for driving without policy raises annual premiums by an average of 27 %, or $ 441, in Massachusetts .
What happens if you get into a car accident without policy in Massachusetts ?
If you get into an accident while driving without insurance in Massachusetts, you will be cited and all the penalties for driving without policy will apply, no topic who is at defect. Driving uninsured can make it difficult to be compensated for damages if you are not at mistake and can have durable and life-changing consequences if you are at defect. If the accident is your fault, you ’ ll have to pay for all the damages out of your own pocket. In accession to the legal consequences for driving without insurance, you could easily be responsible for tens of thousands of dollars or more in damage to your vehicle, the other driver ’ sulfur repair and hospital bills, and your own medical manage. Both the other driver and their indemnity company can sue you and have future wages and savings garnished to pay for damages. You could face mounting debt or even bankruptcy, particularly if the other driver doesn ’ metric ton carry uninsured motorist coverage or personal injury protection. even if the accident is not your fault, driving without indemnity leaves you vulnerable to expensive hospital and repair bills. Massachusetts is a no-fault state. In no-fault states, all drivers process claims through their own policy companies, no count who caused the crash. If you ’ re struck by a driver in a no-fault state and you don ’ t have car insurance, you ’ ll credibly end up paying for everything out of your own pouch .
You can get car policy in Massachusetts, even if you are…
Uninsured: Unless you ’ re a newly licensed driver, having a history of driving without insurance or lapses in coverage is a risk to insurers. To policy companies, it ’ south alike to a bad drive record, which is why drivers who let their indemnity oversight for 60 days pay about 35 % more than the average premium in Massachusetts. USAA, State Farm, Nationwide, and Geico tend to have the lowest rates for drivers who want to regain coverage. Driving someone else’s car: It ’ s not illegal to drive person else ’ mho car if you do not have indemnity, but non-owner car policy can protect you if you don ’ t have a car but hush drive regularly. If you borrow a car from person live in your own home, you should be listed on the car owner ’ s policy. But you may want to explore non-owner coverage if you need to reinstate a driver ’ mho license, you rent or borrow cars frequently, or you want to maintain continuous car coverage between vehicles. Geico, State Farm, Nationwide, and The General effective places to shop if you need non-driver car insurance. High-Risk: If you ’ re a bad driver who has been denied coverage from traditional insurance companies, check out Massachusetts ’ sulfur assigned risk plan. Whether you require an assign risk program or still qualify for bad insurance from conventional providers, you ’ ll pay up more. In Massachusetts, drivers with barely two speeding tickets pay an average of 51 % more on their annual car policy premiums, for model. Depending on your driving record and the seriousness of your infractions, you could pay even more. still, even though rates may be higher, at least you can drive legally and avoid more penalties .
final Thoughts : How to avoid driving without insurance in Massachusetts
To avoid the penalties of driving without indemnity, shop about for at least $ 20,000 in bodily wound indebtedness coverage, up to $ 40,000 per accident, along with $ 5,000 in liability coverage for place damage of liability coverage from three or more cable car indemnity companies. In Massachusetts, you can find basic indebtedness car indemnity for around $ 547 per class if you have a clean drive record. The consequences of driving without indemnity are ultimately more dearly-won than purchasing minimum car insurance coverage. No matter what your unique needs are, the best way to get accurate quotes and the best prices is to comparison shop .show less