Indianapolis car insurance and traffic laws are not in place to annoy you, there is a reason for all of them.

Indianapolis car insurance is a great thing to have if you get “boxcared”.

Indianapolis may not be one of the stricter states in protecting drivers from distracted driving, but they have plenty of other laws (silly and not) to protect from all other manner of bad driving. Some of these laws try to be proactive in protecting drivers, but nothing works better than just paying attention to your surroundings and carrying Indianapolis car insurance.

Indianapolis Cell Phone Laws

Indianapolis has no cell phone laws that outright ban the use of wireless devices. You can still talk on your phone when you are driving (with or without a hand-free device) as long as you are 18 and over. Even bus drivers are allowed to talk on their cell phone in Indianapolis.

The only restrictions for wireless devices include drivers under the age of 18 not being able to use them at all, and texting while driving is illegal for everyone.

Indianapolis Traffic Laws

Traffic laws are put in place to keep us safe on the roads and some have to be written into law in explicit detail because someone did something silly. One such law in the Indianapolis Municipal Code that is a good example of this:

“No driver or operator of any vehicle shall back such vehicle on any street, alley or highway without looking to avoid danger to others or to property, or when there is another vehicle approaching within fifty (50) feet from the rear of the vehicle about to be backed.”

The above law is common sense to most drivers, but still it had to be written down more than likely because there were too many people backing up without paying attention.

Other traffic laws, like the following, are put in place not only to protect us from getting into an accident, but also for the general wellbeing of every one:

“It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle, including buses and taxicabs, to operate such vehicle on any street or public place in the city when the vehicle is emitting from any source an unreasonable quantity of smoke, noxious gases or vapor, or when it is in a condition hazardous to other traffic, except while en route to a repair shop to remedy same and is being operated with due care.”

So if you don’t keep your car maintained and in good working order in Indianapolis, you had better get it taken care of before you get a ticket.

Then there are the important Indianapolis laws that are put in place to protect regular drivers from criminals:

“No driver of any motor vehicle shall drive or operate such vehicle in playing or engaging in the game, operation or maneuver commonly known as “boxcar” in concert with any other driver or drivers so as to surround or flank any other vehicle on two (2) or more sides, or willfully drive or back his motor vehicle onto or against any other vehicle, when both or all such vehicles have stopped, or stop suddenly and without excuse therefor in front of any other vehicle, thereby causing it to swerve or stop abruptly to avoid a collision, or actually causing a collision.”

The above Indianapolis law is technically both a traffic law and a car insurance law. The situation described above is a maneuver that criminals use to cause an accident and then work together as a group to get the accident blamed on the person they boxed in. These accidents include a high amount of “claimed” medical injuries and eventually a pain and suffering settlement.

The only problem is that the whole situation is a set up to get money from Indianapolis car insurance companies through insurance fraud. More than likely this law was enacted to not only try and stop this popular maneuver from happening, but also to give the authorities additional charges to use against these types of car insurance fraud groups.

Indianapolis Car Insurance

Indianapolis requires that you follow Indiana state insurance laws and carry no less than $12,500 in bodily injury coverage for one person, $25,000 in bodily injury coverage total for an accident, and $7,500 in property damage liability coverage if you wish to drive. These coverages are required to not only protect other people if you get into a car accident, but also to protect you financially from expenses you become liable for in this case.

To further protect yourself while driving, it is recommended that you get Indianapolis car insurance that provides coverage for damages to your own car (comp and collision) and medical payments for yourself and others in your vehicle.

Jacksonville car insurance will keep you out of trouble with some traffic violations, but not all of them.

Jacksonville car insurance makes this site even more beautiful to drive on because you are protected.

Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city, but it still makes up only a small portion of the state’s total population. It makes up an even smaller portion of all the traffic violations in Florida during the year, including tickets for both moving violations and insurance compliance.

Jacksonville Traffic Violations

The population of Duval County in 2012, where Jacksonville is located, had a population of 879,602 citizens. Compared to the entire state of Florida that has a population of 19,317,568, this small county only makes up 4.5% of Florida’s total population. (US Census Bureau)

And apparently they aren’t all that bad of drivers, as even though they make up 4.5% of Florida’s population, they only received 3% of the state’s traffic citations in 2012. Now, that 1.5% difference between the traffic violation and population may not sound like much. But in actual numbers, for Duvall County to match their violations with their population they would have had to earn 67,497 more traffic violations than they did. (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)

That’s one more violation for every 13th person in that county. So that 1.5% makes more of a difference than it looks at first.

Jacksonville Traffic Fines

If you are one of the few unlucky Jacksonville residents that get a ticket in Duval County, or a resident from anywhere for that matter, you can expect the following fines:

Speeding 1-9mph over the speed limit = $129.00

Speeding 10-14mph over the speed limit = $204.00

Speeding 15-19mph over the speed limit = $254.00

Speeding 20-29mph over the speed limit = $279.00

Speeding 30mph over the speed limit = Duval County doesn’t even list the fines at this point; you get to go to court to find out what you will be paying in person.

If you choose to drive without valid Jacksonville car insurance, your fine alone will be $114.00.

Jacksonville Car Insurance

Insurance laws for Jacksonville, Florida require that all drivers carry 2 specific coverages. First they have to carry no less than $10,000 in personal injury protection coverage. This coverage is to pay for the medical expenses for the driver and passengers in a vehicle from a car accident, regardless of who is at fault.

Second, $10,000 in property damage liability coverage is also required. This coverage pays for damages to another person’s property that you may damage with your car.

Insurance in Jacksonville is actually regulated by the state of Florida and not the city. It’s the state that creates the new insurance laws and also enforces the laws by making sure that all registered vehicle owners have the required insurance.

If drivers refuse to comply with the required insurance law, they can lose their driver’s license, vehicle registration and have to pay a reinstatement fee that ranges from $150 to $500. Mandatory insurance laws are enforceable by any law enforcement department in Florida, including the Jacksonville Police.

Keep your insurance current, stay up to date on driving laws, and you won’t have a problem driving in San Jose.

San Jose Driving

Unless you live in California, most people have no idea where San Jose is. Many people figure it to be in the southernmost part of the state due to its Spanish name, but they would be wrong. San Jose is actually located just to the southeast of San Francisco.

Like any other city in the state, it has the same insurance rules and a mix of state and city driving laws. But for its population, it has a rather low fatality rate for car accidents; which is a good thing for everyone.

San Jose Car Insurance Requirements

Every state that makes up the U.S. creates the insurance laws for the drivers within the boundaries of their state to follow. This means that insurance rules and regulations are the same throughout the entire state, freeing the cities and towns from having to create their own insurance laws. Quite frankly this makes it easier for drivers, since they only have to know the insurance laws for the state and not for each town and city they may move to or drive through.

In the state of California, if a person wants to register a vehicle they must have at least the minimum amount of insurance that the state requires. For California, the insurance coverage minimum is $15,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person you injure, $30,000 in bodily injury coverage total if you injure more than one person, and $5,000 to help repair any damage you cause with your vehicle.

San Jose Traffic Laws

Even though insurance laws are always the same from one city to the next, many traffic laws are not. Here are some laws (city and state) to keep in mind when driving through San Jose so that you don’t get a ticket and end up with higher insurance rates:

• No texting
• No cell phones unless using a hands-free device
• If you are under 18, you are not allowed to touch any wireless device, including your cell phone, when driving.
• You are not allowed to use any spray coating on your license plate that impairs an electronic law enforcement device, like a red light camera, from reading and recognizing your plate.
• Driving or not, you cannot smoke in your vehicle if there is a minor inside also.
• If the weather is bad enough that you have to use your windshield wipers, then you also must turn on your headlights.

San Jose Crash Statistics

Per the California Highway Patrol, there were 3,049 car accidents in San Jose In 2010 that resulted in property damage. There were also 3,646 injuries and 36 fatalities from car accidents that same year. Compared to the rest of the county that San Jose is in (Santa Clara), the traffic fatalities in San Jose made up 43% of the total fatalities for the entire county.

However, compared to other large cities, only having 36 traffic fatalities in an entire year is something for San Jose to be proud of.

Dallas is doing everything they can to make it safer to drive in their city

Keeping driving beautiful in Dallas.

The City of Dallas isn’t messing around when it comes with making their street safer for drivers. They strictly enforce speed limits, having insurance coverage, as well as many other traffic laws. So if you choose to drive through Dallas, make sure you are doing what you are supposed to and you won’t have any trouble getting around.

Dallas Lead Foots

Attention all drivers that have a lead foot! Speeding in Dallas can be costly.

If you are caught doing just 1-10 over the speed limit, your fine is only going to be $97.00. However, Dallas also tacks on an additional $97.10 in costs, essentially doubling the price of the ticket now to $194.10. Thanks to the fees, a ticket for 11-15 over the speed limit is $219.10, over 16-19 is $244.10, and finally more than 20 over the speed limit will make you the proud owner of a $297.10 traffic ticket.

Get caught speeding in a school zone?

Doing 1-10 over the limit is going to cost you $239.10, 11-15 will be $264.10, and 16-19 will put you $289.10 in the hole. If you are caught going 20 mph or more over the speed limit in a school zone you deserve a lot more than the $322.10 ticket you will have to pay.

Dallas Car Insurance Requirements

The City of Dallas strictly enforces the insurance requirements that are set by the State of Texas. Even though Dallas doesn’t determine what the minimum amounts of insurance coverage are to be able to drive in their city, you are going to be in a whole lot of trouble if you aren’t carrying at least:

$30,000 in bodily injury coverage for a single person for medical expenses

$60,000 in bodily injury coverage for two or more people for medical expenses

$25,000 in property damage coverage

Say Goodbye to Your Car in Dallas

As of January 1, 2009, if you are pulled over by an officer from the Dallas Police Department and are caught with no car insurance coverage you can say goodbye to your car. The police officer will not only issue you a citation, but you will not be allowed to drive any further with your vehicle as they will immediately have it towed away.

This stricter law was put in place because police officers were issuing 75,000 uninsured motorist citations a year. It used to be that you were only towed if you got into an accident and were uninsured. But they had to crack down because they were so many people going without car insurance, making it unfair and costly to those that followed the law and carried the required coverage.

Once your vehicle gets towed, you have to go to the impound lot show proof that you have insurance and also paid all the fines and fees (including impound and towing) before you are allowed to drive that vehicle on the Dallas streets once again.

Driving in San Diego can be a safe and entertaining experience

One of the many beautiful views of San Diego.

San Diego is the last large city on Interstate 5 before you reach Mexico. The weather is gorgeous all year long, they have beautiful beaches, tons of stuff to keep you entertained, and some very entertaining driving laws.

But aside from the entertainment, driving in San Diego is fairly safe. For the huge population they have in that area and hours of rush hour traffic they see, you would think things would be a little more dangerous than they are in terms of car accidents.

Interesting San Diego Driving Laws

Driving laws are created to protect us, but there are just some that make you scratch your head when you read the actual wording of the law. For example:

If there is a sign stating that the road is closed or no one is to drive on the road, it is illegal for you to do so. Oh by the way, per San Diego municipal code 84.02 you aren’t allowed to drive or ride an animal on these roads either.

This one was too good not to share word for word:

“Vehicles on Private Property

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or drive or leave any vehicle in, over, or upon any private property without the written permission of the owner thereof, or the person entitled to the immediate possession thereof, or the authorized agent of either.

(b) Whenever any person is stopped by a peace officer pursuant to this section, he or she shall, upon the request of such peace officer, display said written permission.”

Don’t forget to keep that written permission with your vehicle registration, your driver’s license, and your insurance verification. And don’t think you can get out of it by hanging your vehicle “over” that private property.

San Diego County Crash Statistics

In 2011, San Diego County car accidents resulted in 200 fatalities for the entire county. For being a county with a population of 3.1 million that is an excellent statistic. Of these 200 fatalities 66 of them were due to a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher and 83 of these fatalities were a result of a vehicle driving faster than the speed limit.

Other crash fatality statistics in 2011:

• 11 Bicyclists
• 42 Pedestrians
• 47 Motorcyclists

Of all the vehicles involved in fatal accidents, the majority of them (127) were single vehicle accidents

San Diego Car Insurance Requirements

If you cause a car accident like one of the ones above, you had better hope that you have enough insurance to cover the expenses you have become liable for. While the state requires that you don’t have to carry any more than 15/30/5* in liability coverage, these minimums don’t even come close to paying for the expenses you will be responsible for if you cause a fatality.

Any expenses that are remaining after you have maxed out these low insurance limits are your personal responsibility.

There are also no additional San Diego insurance requirements that drivers have to be worried about having, as the State of California handles the insurance rules and regulations for the entire state.

*$15,000 in bodily liability injury coverage for one person you injure or kill, $30,000 total for the injuries or fatality of two or more people, and $5,000 in property damage coverage.