In Louisville, if it has a license plate it has to have Louisville car insurance.

Hit a homerun by keeping your Louisville car insurance current.

Louisville’s car insurance requirements are determined by the state of Kentucky, but enforced on both the state and local level. And while there has been some improvement in certain accident statistics, other statistics should be enough to scare anyone into buying insurance even without being forced to by any level of state law enforcement.

Louisville Car Accident Trends

Each year the number of car accidents that happen around the nation increase and Louisville is not exempt from these increases. In 2011, Jefferson County (where Louisville is located) saw 988 more car accidents than what they had in 2010.

Year after year Louisville and its surrounding county continue to see increases in the number of car accidents. If you have managed not to get into an accident and think that you are okay driving without insurance, with more accidents happening each year just how long do you think your luck will hold out?

Increases were seen in both property damage only accidents, and non-fatal injury accidents. However, there was a decrease in the number of fatal accidents that happened in Jefferson County in 2011. In 2011, 12 fewer people died from car accidents than they did in 2010. And for any of the car accident statistics, the fatality statistic is the one that you want to see decreased.

(source: Kentucky State Police)

Louisville Car Insurance

Many drivers in Louisville think that they have car insurance to cover any vehicles they drive; this is not correct. Louisville car insurance covers vehicles not drivers. This is why the state tracks all of the vehicles that are licensed in Kentucky and not all the driver’s licenses; to make sure that there is car insurance in place for the actual vehicles that are on the road.

As the owner of the vehicle, you are responsible for making sure that it has no less than the following Louisville car insurance coverages if it is licensed, regardless of who is driving it:

• $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury liability coverage
• $10,000 property damage liability coverage
• $10,000 pip coverage (if you choose to go with the “no-fault” insurance system)

Driving Without Kentucky Car Insurance

“Insured: The Only Way to Drive”, is the motto of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Not only in principle are they correct, but literally with the way they enforce their insurance laws for Louisville car insurance.

Because they track whether or not you have insurance on your vehicle electronically, there is no way to get away with not having insurance like you can in some other states. Once Kentucky finds out that your Louisville car insurance has been cancelled, you will be sent a letter stating that they have been informed that you have no car insurance and that you must bring in proof you are still insured.

If you cannot provide proof that you were covered or you ignore their letter, your vehicle registration will be suspended. To get it back you have to satisfy all penalty requirements, including getting a new Louisville car insurance policy.

Car insurance may be required in Memphis, but you are better off having it than not with the cities accident statistics.

Make sure you have active Memphis car insurance just in case you become a Memphis car accident statistic.

How safe your driving experience in Memphis is depends on you the driver, but with Memphis’ accident statistics all drivers needs to be on the defensive when driving there. Memphis may not be as large as New York, Dallas, or Los Angeles, but its regular car accident statistics compared to the rest of its state’s accidents is high in comparison with the statistics of other large cities.

And this means that if nothing else, you should be scared to drive around without Memphis car insurance coverage. You just never know when your luck will run out, and it’s time for you to be one of the accident statistics.

Memphis Car Accident Statistics

In 2012, Memphis had a total of 29,126 car accidents. This number is not much higher than the year before, with the city seeing only seeing an increase of 85 car accidents over the number of accidents in 2011. Compared to the rest of the state that had 170,722 car accidents in 2012, Memphis accounts for 17% of all the car accident in the entire state. This number is higher than other large cities around the nation that only account for 12-13% of their states accident total.

As far as fatalities, Memphis car accidents accounted for almost 9% of all fatalities in the entire state. But your chance of having a fatal accident compared to just having an accident is extremely low as less than 2/10ths of a percent of the accidents in Memphis end with a fatality.

(Source: TN Department of Safety and Homeland Security)

You Need Memphis Car Insurance to Drive

If you plan on driving around Memphis you need to make sure that you have car insurance coverage on your vehicle. This will not only help protect you and everyone else on the road from the damage from a car accidents, it is also the law.

To make sure you are driving with the legal amount of Memphis car insurance coverage required, talk to your local Memphis car insurance agent. They will make sure you have at least the following minimum coverages, and can advise you on any other coverage you may need:

• Property damage liability coverage of no less than $15,000
• Bodily injury liability coverage of at least $25,000 to cover the injuries of one person
• Bodily injury liability coverage of at least $50,000 for all injuries in an accident if two or more people are injured.

What Happens if You Get Caught Without Memphis Car Insurance?

Memphis car insurance requirements are actually set forth by Tennessee and are the same for everywhere within the state. The car insurance laws are also enforced throughout the state, and if you are caught without car insurance you can be subject to local penalties in addition to state penalties.

Statewide, if you are caught without car insurance both your driver’s license and vehicle registration will be suspended. And getting both back can cost you a lot more than just keeping your Memphis car insurance coverage current in the first place.

No matter if you are driving your car or have it parked in Nashville, there are rules and penalties being enforced for everything.

Downtown Nashville may be beautiful, but make sure you park where you are supposed to.

Trying to get away with anything in Nashville is almost impossible with all the law enforcement agencies they have enforcing both traffic and parking laws. There are three different agencies out patrolling the roads making sure that you are driving safe and carrying insurance. And there are many different agencies in Nashville making sure that you park your car correctly.

While Driving, Carry Nashville Car Insurance

Every state, except Alaska, requires that their drivers carry car insurance on their vehicle in every part of the state and every city they drive in. The state creates the required insurance laws and drivers buy the coverage in the area they live in, like Nashville. Then that Nashville car insurance provides protection for anywhere they drive.

The car insurance laws however, are enforced by every law enforcement agency within the state border, not just the state law enforcement agencies. This means that you will get in trouble for not carrying the required state car insurance with the county sheriff and city police officers, just like you would the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

To keep yourself out of trouble across the state, make sure that while you are driving your vehicle that you are carrying at least the following insurance coverages:

• 25/50 for bodily injury liability coverage ($25,000 for one person’s injuries, $50,000 for injuries of one or more people)
• 15 for property damage liability coverage ($15,000 of coverage to pay for damages you do to another person’s vehicle or property with your vehicle).

Skipping the Nashville Car Insurance

If you would prefer to drive without Nashville car insurance, no one can stop you. However, if you are caught by a Nashville police officer without car insurance they will give you a slap on the hand with a fine of no more than $100 and a Class C misdemeanor on your record. That’s not too bad of a punishment for saving all that money from not having to pay those insurance premiums, right?

Oh wait, I forgot something. Nashville then reports to the State of Tennessee that they caught you driving without insurance. The state then steps in and your driver’s license and car registration are both automatically suspended.

Parking in Nashville

Along with mandatory insurance requirements, drivers have to deal with parking issues in Nashville as well. And parking in Nashville is not any less of a pain than it is in any other city. In fact, it may be a little more of a pain as there are 6, yes 6, different agencies that give out tickets to drivers that have broken parking rules.

If you get a parking ticket, you have 45 days to pay it or plead “not guilty” and request a court date to fight the ticket. But whatever you decide to do, don’t ignore the ticket. Ignoring the ticket will just make things so much worse.

The best way to avoid all the problems associated with these parking tickets though, is to be extra vigilant of parking signs and rules when parking in Tennessee.

Being its own city and state, Washington D.C. gets to make their own traffic laws.

Keep driving beautifully in Washington D.C. just like this sunset and you will have no worries.

Washington D.C. is in the unique situation of being both a large city and technically its own state. So unlike other cities where they get to make their own traffic laws and penalties, but are at the mercy of what the state determines for car insurance, Washington D.C. gets to determine both.

Mandatory Washington D.C Car Insurance

Washington D.C. is just like any other state in that they require their residents to carry car insurance if they have a vehicle registered or carry a reciprocity sticker for Washington D.C. The coverages are pretty standard compared to other states, other than the uninsured motorist coverage that is also required.

Required car insurance coverage:

Property Damage Liability ($10,000 minimum) – This coverage pays for the damages that you may cause to another person’s vehicle or even property with your vehicle.

Bodily Injury Liability ($25,000/$50,000) – This coverage will pay for the medical related expenses that are a result from a car accident that you cause. The first amount is the most that the insurance company will pay for the expenses of one person. The second amount is the total that the insurance company will pay for each accident, if there are injuries for more than one person.

Uninsured Motorist Property Damage ($25,000/$50,000) – This coverage will pay for your medical related expenses that are a result from a car accident that is caused by someone that does not have insurance. The first amount is the most that the insurance company will pay for the expenses of one person in your vehicle. The second amount is the total that the insurance company will pay for each accident, if there are injuries to multiple people in your vehicle.

Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury – This is the coverage that your insurance company would pay for any vehicle damages you sustain by a driver that does not have insurance. You will still have to pay a $200 deductible, but in most cases this is less than what you carry for your collision deductible and much less than paying for the damages out of your own pocket.

Washington D.C. License Suspension

If you don’t keep your Washington D.C. car insurance current, you will lose your driver’s license. But in Washington D.C. you can also have your driver’s license suspended for a number of other different things, such as:

• Driving 30 m.p.h. or more over the speed limit.
• Negligent driving that lead to a fatal car accident.
• Being continually convicted of traffic violations
• Failing to appear for a hearing from a traffic violation
• Reckless driving

The above are just a few of the actions that can subject you to an immediate driver’s license suspension. Washington D.C. doesn’t want dangerous drivers on the road in their city, which includes drivers that decide they don’t need to carry Washington D.C. car insurance.

Baltimore is an old city with some very old traffic laws still on the books.

Just like some of its beautiful buildings, there are some pretty old traffic laws still on the books in Baltimore.

Baltimore car insurance requirements have been around for what may seem like a lifetime to most of us. But there are some traffic laws on the books in Baltimore that are even older than the car insurance requirements.

Here are some vintage Baltimore traffic laws just as they are written in the Baltimore City Codes:

Ҥ 26-1. Unauthorized riding.

(a) Prohibited conduct; penalty.

It shall not be lawful for any unauthorized person or persons to ride on locomotives, tenders, or

cars of steam railroads, street cars, stages, omnibuses, hacks, or any licensed conveyance for

passengers or merchandise on any street, lane, or alley opened for public use within the limits of

the City of Baltimore under a penalty of $1 for each offense, to be recovered as other fines and

penalties are now recoverable.

(b) Exception.

Provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to newboys {sic} pursuing

their vocation.

(City Code, 1893, art. 8, §26; 1927, art. 4, §114; 1950, art. 38, §91; 1966, art. 31, §125; 1976/83, art.31, §85.) (Ord. 1879-004.)”

GENERAL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS

§ 37-1. General fine.

Any person violating any provision or regulation of this article shall be deemed guilty of a

misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined a sum not exceeding $100 for each and

every offense, except where another penalty is specified.

(City Code, 1927, art. 4, §61; 1950, art. 38, §78; 1966, art. 31, §94; 1976/83, art. 31, §70.)

(Ord. 08-139; Ord. 74-768.)

Ҥ 16-12. Vehicles on sidewalk.

(a) Prohibited conduct.

No person may back, draw, move, propel, drive, or operate any motor vehicle of any kind or any

vehicle of any kind that is drawn by a horse or mule on or over any sidewalk or curbing of the

City unless:

(1) the curbing is lowered to grade and the sidewalk so paved and arranged as to allow the

passage of these vehicles; or

(2) the person has special permission to do so from the Director of Public Works.

(b) Enforcement by citation.

(1) In addition to any other civil or criminal remedy or enforcement procedure, this section may

be enforced by issuance of:

(i) an environmental citation under City Code Article 1, Subtitle 40 {“Environmental

Control Board”}; or

(ii) a civil citation under City Code Article 1, Subtitle 41 {“Civil Citations”}.

(2) The issuance of a citation to enforce this section does not preclude pursuing any other civil

or criminal remedy or enforcement action authorized by law.

(c) Penalties.

Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and on

conviction, is subject to a fine of not more than $100 for each offense.

(City Code, 1893, art. 48, §138; 1927, art. 32, §52; 1950, art. 24, §96; 1966, art. 19, §135; 1976/83,

art. 19, §160.) (Ord. 1885-033; Ord. 26-756; Ord. 45-267; Ord. 77-573; Ord. 99-548.)”

I love it when we find vintage stuff like this. Most of these laws on the books are still valid today, but I wonder if some of the penalties above are still being enforced in the same exact amount by Baltimore courts.