I am planning to buy car insurance in PA but I would like to know if I need to get drivers license first to purchase insurance? What auto insurance companies in Pennsylvania are the easiest to work with and have the best rates?

Lee

Philadelphia, PA

No, you do not need to get drivers license to get Pennsylvania automobile insurance.

Although you can buy automobile insurance without your drivers license, if you just moved in PA you will need to get drivers license to register and title your vehicle.

The minimum liability limits required in the state of Pennsylvania are:

• $15,000 for injury or death of one person in an accident
• $30,000 for injury or death of more than one person in an accident
• $5,000 for damage to property of another person

This insurance is usually referred to as 15/30/5 and it is better to get higher limits to better protect yourself and your assets.

If you are leasing your car, your lien holder may require you to get physical damage liability of collision and comprehensive coverage.

My wife and I are both retired. We need to cut our auto insurance premiums. How can we get more affordable car insurance in Scranton, Pennsylvania? Thanks for you help!

Edward

Scranton, PA

To find more affordable car insurance in Scranton, Pennsylvania, you have come to the right place, Edward. If you and your wife have safe driving records, make sure your new insurance carrier knows it. Safe driving records make the search for affordable car insurance much easier.

Another factor that can contribute to affordable car insurance is recording your driving mileage history. Again, the more information you provide that reduces the carrier’s risk, the more affordable car insurance rates will be. If your vehicle does not have anti-theft devices, purchase and install them.

Edward, if you and your wife travel, you might consider taking your car off the road and storing it while you travel. When you do, notify your carrier. This will further lower your affordable car insurance policy.

To begin your search for the most affordable car insurance policies available to residents of Scranton, star by completing the inquiry request form on this site. This 21st century tool will help you shop for affordable car insurance and you will soon receive multiple presentations that you can study in the comfort of your home. What could be better? Learn about affordable car insurance and do it at home. That is a hard formula, to beat. Good luck, Edward.

I had an auto accident but it was not my fault and my car insurance policy had canceled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Could I still place an insurance claim if it is less than a few days canceled.

Gary

Bethlehem, PA

You could not put a car insurance claim through your own car insurance carrier since your car insurance policy was canceled in Pennsylvania and therefore not in effect at the time of the accident. It does not matter if your car insurance policy was canceled even by just a couple of hours, if your auto insurance was not valid at the time of the accident you would not have insurance coverage under your auto insurance policy. Since you mentioned that you were not at fault in the incident you may be able to put an insurance claim through the at-fault party’s insurance carrier.

You can try to put an insurance claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company to check if they will accept it.

It would be helpful in your case if you are properly insured now. Even if you did not get a ticket for driving without insurance it would be best to now have your car insured so that you can legally operate a vehicle.

My daughter is away at college and was recently arrested for underage drinking. She does not have a vehicle at school but her license has been suspended for 3 months. She is on my auto insurance and I would like to know this affect my insurance rates? I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Henry

Lancaster, PA

Even though your daughter is away at college, since she stays on your auto insurance it is likely that her underage drinking violation could affect your car insurance rates. An insurance carrier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania will normally take into account the driving histories of all household members, especially those listed as drivers on the insurance policy.

Since insurance carrier’s rating systems vary, to check for sure how your daughter’s violation of the law will affect your car insurance rates contact your insurance broker. Also your insurance carrier’s rating system should be filed with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department if you would rather contact them for this information.

I am only eighteen years old and I receive a DUI in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I went through the ARD program and I would like to know if my auto insurance will go up at all?

Charles

Scranton, PA

In Pennsylvania they permit for an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) for 1st offense of DUI. When a DUI offender is accepted into an ARD program the state suspends their charges however they are required that certain court ordered conditions are met. These conditions may include community service, drug and alcohol counseling, etc.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department states that if you are convicted of an alcohol related violation such as DUI in Scranton, Pennsylvania, whether or not you complete an ARD program, your license will be suspended. This alone is a valid reason for insurance providers to increase rates, non-renew or cancel your insurance policy.

If I got involved in a car accident without insurance and driver’s license in Pennsylvania however it is not my fault. Could I be charged with a crime if someone got killed in the accident?

Fred

Pittsburgh, PA

Operating a vehicle without insurance and without a valid license are both against the law in the state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania laws states that every car that is required to be registered should be covered by financial responsibility (FR). Most motorists choose to get Financial Responsibility in the way of auto insurance.

The penalties for not having auto insurance, or another form of FR, can include:

1. A three month suspension of your driver’s license
2. A minimum of $300 fine
3. $50 reinstatement fee to restore your driver’s license
4. A three month suspension of your vehicle registration
5. $50 reinstatement fee to restore your vehicle registration
6. That the car may not be driven by anyone while the registration is revoked or suspended.

Since you were driving without the required state insurance and without a valid license you will likely received some of the penalties above if you were convicted by the responding law enforcement officer. There might be other penalties too if you get involved in an accident and if a death occurred.

I’m from Allentown, Pennsylvania and I’m thinking, what are the penalties if you get caught driving without insurance?

Paul

Allentown, PA

If Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) finds your car insurance has lapsed for over thirty one days you will have your car’s registration suspended for three months. If you get caught operating the vehicle without car insurance your license will be suspended for three months as well.

The vehicle’s registration plate, card , sticker and your driver’s license must be surrendered to PennDOT to serve the suspension. Reinstatement fees of $50 and proof of valid car insurance must be submitted prior to the time your registration and/or driving privileges are to be returned.

Other than these penalties for not having car insurance on your automobile if you are cited and stopped for operating a vehicle, your car might be impounded and fines will likely result, as well as the aforementioned suspensions.

A: According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) a whole lot. On average, the least amount you’re looking at paying for SR22 for DUI in one year is $3600, up to around $6000 dollars. Once you’ve picked your jaw up off the floor, there’s more where that came from. Car insurance isn’t the only cost of a DUI. Not only will your license be suspended for six months before you can even try to get it back, but you will have to pay a mountain of fees and fines. The average amount a first time DUI offender pays in all is close to $11,000. And that’s before insurance.

You also risk being unable to get insurance from many places if you have to file an SR22 for DUI conviction. Your current car insurance provider may cancel your policy and every other car insurance provider may say there’s no room at the inn for you. If that happens, you’ll have to get insured through the Pennsylvania assigned-risk pool, which is even more expensive.

Paying for an SR22 for DUI is no walk in the park, but it isn’t impossible either. If you look up car insurance discounts, compare rates, and keep your record clean, then you can save money and possibly look forward to cheaper car insurance rates in the future.

A: Even if you are pretty good driver and have a history of being so, having SR22 insurance will almost always immediately racket you into a category of higher risk. This happens because of the way car insurance companies rate policies, which is on a basis of risk. So what’s SR22 insurance got to do with it? Well, even if you didn’t get you SR22 insurance requirement because of a moving violation or anything particularly dangerous, most of the reasons for a license to be suspended are pretty risky–drunk driving, accumulating ticket points, getting into an accident. Others, which aren’t quite as risky, such as driving without insurance, are still negative in the eyes of the car insurance company because they want customers who are able to pay them consistently. If you have a record of being uninsured, then you’re less likely to do this.

Lucky for you, it won’t last for ever. What’s SR22 insurance but a temporary thing? In five years, so long as you stay out of trouble in the meantime, you’ll no longer see the effects of SR22 insurance on your record.

A: It’s nowhere near possible to just point to a specific company and say, “that’s the place with the cheapest SR22 insurance”. You can, however, understand some things based on the group your car insurance company falls into. The companies you’ll get the best prices from are going to be the ones which cater to all kinds of customers, like whatever company you had before you had to get an SR22. However, SR22 drivers can’t always get insured with these companies.

If you can’t, you have to take another option, which is the next cheapest SR22 insurance. Companies in this category only offer insurance to drivers who have high risk, such as bad driving records, SR22s, or high performance cars. Again, even here you aren’t going to be able to purchase insurance 100% of the time.

Finally, you have your least cheapest SR22 insurance category, which is Pennsylvania’s assigned-risk car insurance program. If you are unable to get insured elsewhere, you can absolutely do it here, with one catch–empty your pockets, because the prices aren’t cheap.