Wednesday, February 11, 2009

California Auto Insurance Laws - Things You Should Know

By Chimezirim Odimba

Driving a car in California subjects to you California Car Insurance Law. The state's insurance laws make you financially responsible for your actions. You must show your ability to pay for damages or injury to others resulting from the ownership or operation of a car in the state.

State laws require that every driver and owner of a car be financially responsible for their actions. The statutory liability insurance in California is subject to the following limits...

Bodily Injury $15,000 for death or injury of any one person, any one accident. $30,000 for all persons in any one accident.

Property Damage $5,000 for any one accident.

You can demonstrate your financial responsibility in four ways...

1. Buying a motor vehicle or automobile liability insurance policy.

2. A cash deposit of $35,000 with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

3. The Department of Motor Vehicles will issue a certificate of self insurance to owners of fleets of more than 25 vehicles.

4. You can obtained a surety bond for $35,000 from an insurance company licensed to do business in California.

California law makes it illegal for you to own or operate a car in California without having at least the statutory limits of minimum liability insurance or an approved substitute method to compensate for injury or property damage you may bring about. Penalties are extremely harsh for nonconformity with the law. Nonconformity with the law can result in suspension of your license.

You can easily comply with California Car Insurance Laws by buying an auto insurance policy. As the owner of a car, you are responsible for providing insurance for the car, no matter who is operating the car. It is illegal for cars to be operated without meeting this law. - 15224

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