South Dakota Car Insurance
South Dakota car insurance is not the only way you can show proof of financial responsibility.
| State Regulator Information | 605-773-3563 | www.sdjobs.org/reg/insurance |
| Insurance Premium | Avg. Annual Premium: $ 1,058 | National Average: $1,318 |
| Mandatory Car Insurance Coverage | Bodily Injury Liability:$25k/50k Property Damage Liability: $25k |
South Dakota requires proof that you can pay for damages you cause in a car accident; it just doesn’t have to be in the form of car insurance.
South Dakota requires that their drivers and vehicle owners provide proof of financial responsibility, in one of the methods approved by the state, in order to drive. Driving without it will cost you not only points on your driving record, but also your criminal record as well.
If you don’t want to purchase the minimum amount of insurance that South Dakota law requires for proof of financial responsibility, they do provide you with several other options.
South Dakota Car Insurance Requirements
Insurance requirements in the state of South Dakota run about average compared to what other states require. They aren’t the lowest, but they are definitely not the highest.
Are they adequate though? That is something that you really need to talk through with your insurance agent. Don’t expect them not to try and upsell you into more insurance coverage, but they can still tell you the pros and cons of this level of coverage.
South Dakota car insurance requirements include having to carry bodily injury liability coverage as well as property damage liability coverage. Bodily injury has to be no less than $25,000 in coverage for a single person (not in your vehicle) that you injure. It also has to include coverage of no less than $50,000 for the medical expenses from injuries that you cause to two or more people (not in your vehicle).
Property damage liability has to be $25,000 or more in coverage in order to be legal in South Dakota. This coverage is for any property that is not yours that you damage with your vehicle.
No South Dakota Car Insurance = Misdemeanor
In most states you will find you driver’s license or car registration suspended if you are caught without insurance. South Dakota on the other hand, will charge you with a misdemeanor.
Now, you don’t have to actually carry South Dakota car insurance to be able to legally drive in the state. They do offer a number of alternatives for you to provide proof that you have some sort of financial responsibility set up in the event that you do cause an accident.
If you fail to provide any of the proof of financial responsibilities that they accept a Class 2 misdemeanor will be added to your record.
The South Dakota Car Insurance Alternatives
As mentioned before, South Dakota car insurance is just one of the several ways that you can have proof of financial responsibility to legally drive. All of the alternatives, including the proof of South Dakota car insurance, are just basically providing proof that you can pay for the expenses that come from an accident that you cause.
South Dakota approves the following alternatives to having South Dakota car insurance:
• A surety bond
• A cash deposit of $25,000 with the state treasurer or $30,000 in securities.
• A certificate of self-insurance for those that own 25 or more vehicles and can prove that they have the capability to pay for damages they are responsible for.
For more information about how you can obtain one of these alternative proofs of financial responsibility contact the Department of Public Safety in South Dakota.
Trackback from your site.