Fort Worth Car Insurance- Protecting Everyone on the Road

Fort Worth car insurance does more than just protects others from you; it also protects you from your own bad driving.

Fort Worth, Texas

Driving in Fort Worth, Texas is not a whole lot different than driving through the other large cities in the state. Fort Worth has the same insurance requirements and laws, as well as most of the same traffic laws. But drivers also need to be aware of the lesser known local laws that are enforced just as strictly as the statewide laws.

Car Insurance for Fort Worth

Because it’s the state that actually determines what kind and how much insurance is required for Texas drivers, there are no specific Fort Worth car insurance requirements. However, the Fort Worth Police Department does enforce the state insurance laws and will not hesitate to ticket you if you are not carrying at least the minimum required car insurance.

To avoid a no insurance citation, make sure you have no less than:

• $60,000 in bodily injury liability coverage that will cover the total costs for all medical bills if you injure two or more people in a car accident.
• $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage that will cover the costs for the medical bills of a single person.
• $25,000 in property damage liability coverage for the damage you may do to another person’s property with your vehicle.

While these limits are actually decent compared to what other states require their drivers to carry, the state actually encourages their drivers to think about getting more than these minimal coverages to protect themselves in case they are sued for more than the amount of coverage they have. They also encourage drivers not to just stop with liability insurance, but to also carry other Fort Worth car insurance that would protect themselves and their vehicle.

Fort Worth Car Insurance Proof

When you buy Fort Worth car insurance, your insurance company sends you a proof-of-insurance card and electronic verification of coverage to the state. Your proof of insurance must be provided whenever you:

• Are pulled over and asked for it by a police officer
• Are in an accident
• Register or renew your car’s registration
• Get or renew your driver’s license
• Have your car inspected.

Penalties for not Having Fort Worth Car Insurance

If you do not purchase Fort Worth car insurance you will be in violation of Texas’ financial responsibility laws and will face the following penalities:

• A fine of $175 to $350 for your first offense
• Fines of $350 to $1,000, suspension of your driver’s license, and impoundment of your
• A $2,000 maximum fine, 180 days in jail, or both if you are caught without both car insurance and a driver’s license.
• A $4,000 maximum fine, one year in jail, or both if you cause a car accident and have no car insurance.

Traffic Fines in Fort Worth

In Fort Worth there is a traffic fine for just about everything, so driver beware. Keep your nose clean, your eyes ahead, your cell phone off and avoid doing any of the following:

• Fail to set your brake and leave your vehicle
• Start your vehicle “improperly” from a parked position
• Follow an ambulance
• Tow another vehicle or trailer without having mud flaps
• Have transparent material on your side or rear windows
• Drive below the minimum speed limit on the freeway
• Use your cell phone in a school zone
• Allow a child to ride in the bed of your truck

Fort Worth Construction Zones

Per the Star Telegram, four out of five people that are killed in a construction zone are the motorists themselves and not the construction workers. Last year 134 people were killed in construction zones, with the Texas Department of Public Safety attributing these accidents to speeding and inattentive driving.

Drivers need to realize that the traffic tickets in construction zones are much higher than they are in non-construction zones. Fort Worth drivers also need to understand that even though it is not illegal to use your cell phone in a construction zone, that you are putting your own life, as well as the construction worker’s lives in danger when you pay more attention to you cell phone than your driving.