1. What are the AZ car insurance minimum requirements?
Arizona state law requires that every driver have a minimum of $15,000 bodily injury liability for one person and $30,000 for two or more people, and $10,000 property damage liability.
2. Is proof of insurance required in Arizona?
Yes. Be prepared to have to show proof of insurance if you are ever pulled over for a traffic stop in Arizona. Likewise, when the police respond after an accident, you will need to show your insurance card. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will also want to make sure you have coverage in place when you go to their office to register your new ride.
Under Arizona state law, if your existing car insurance policy is cancelled or terminated by your insurer, the company must inform the DMV of this fact. Be prepared to get a letter from them asking you to provide proof that you have at least the minimum level of coverage in place if you are ever in this situation.
3. What happens if I am pulled over and I do not have an auto insurance polciy in place?
If you are caught driving in Arizona without insurance, your license may be suspended. The DMV may also revoke your vehicle registration. You will be required to pay a fee to have your registration reinstated.
In the case of needing to get your driver’s license back, you are looking at the cost and inconvenience of not being able to drive until the matter is resolved. In addition, you may be required to submit an SR-22 form annually for three years following the incident.
An SR-22 is a form your insurance company fills out and submits to the DMV on your behalf. It confirms that you have insurance coverage in place. Any time that you need to deal with a situation where an SR-22 form is required, you can consider yourself flagged as a “higher risk” driver.
This means that your current insurance company may refuse to continue to insure you. You can look at other options and there are companies who do specialize in offering coverage to higher-risk drivers. The thing is that while these companies will cover you, it may be at a higher cost than you have been paying.
Even after you no longer required to have an SR-22 submitted on your behalf every year, the fact that your license was suspended will still be on your driving record. Insurance companies will take this information into consideration when they consider your application for coverage. A much better approach is to find coverage that you can afford and make sure that you keep up with your premium payments.