Texas Car Insurance: Keeping Track of the Uninsured Electronically

Texas car insurance is required just like in every other state, but in Texas the government keeps track of your insurance.

Texas car insurance is tracked electronically in the state of Texas to make sure that every registered vehicle is covered by insurance. If your insurance coverage does not meet minimum state requirements you will not be allowed to complete any required actions for your vehicle or your driver’s license.

For drivers living near the Mexican border, they will also find that their Texas car insurance doesn’t meet legal insurance requirements of the Mexican government.

Texas Car Insurance Requirements

Texas car insurance requires a driver to carry a minimum of $30,000 per person and $60,000 in liability coverage for injuries to others. Drivers are also required to carry a minimum liability limit of $25,000 for property damage done to others.

You have to be able to show proof of this insurance if you have an inspection on your car, renew or get your driver’s license and renew or register your vehicle in Texas. Just like in other states, you also have to supply proof of insurance if you get into a car accident or are asked by a police officer for it.

Going to Mexico with Texas Car Insurance

If you drive into Mexico the coverage on your basic Texas car insurance policy will not follow you into Mexico. You will need to contact your agent to add a special endorsement to your policy.

The basic policy endorsement on your Texas car insurance policy will generally cover you up to 25 miles past the U.S.-Mexican border and is good for up to 10 days. If you visiting longer or further into Mexico let your agent know. They may be able to find you a tourist type endorsement to add to your Texas car insurance policy that will give you the coverage you need to legally drive in Mexico.

TexasSure

Texas car insurance is verified by the authorities through a program called TexasSure. TexasSure allows the police, vehicle registration offices and any other allowed department to verify if you truly do have current Texas car insurance.

This program was designed to cut down on the number of uninsured motorists in the state of Texas. It works by matching your VIN number with the insurance database information to verify that your vehicle is insured. If your VIN does not match with an insurance record, you will be sent a notification from the system that you need to correct the situation.

The TexasSure system also prevents people from providing false or forged insurance information to the authorities.

Penalties

Your first offense for not carrying Texas car insurance is a fine that can range from $175.00 to $350.00. If you continue to be caught without insurance your fines increase to $350.00 and up to $1000.00, also your vehicle is impounded and your driver’s license is suspended.

While the first and second offense fines and penalties would stop most people, there are those that just don’t learn. If you are one of those and you still drive without insurance even after your license has been suspended, your fines can be up to $2000.00 and/or jail time. An accident that is caused by you that results in a serious injury or death increases your fine up to $4000.00 and/or a year in jail, if you are still driving without insurance.