My son was in an accident while driving my car in Minnesota. The other driver was declared to be at fault. We are from Wisconsin, and he only went there to visit an aunt. Will my car insurance policy still cover for his medical bills since Minnesota is a no-fault state and the accident happened there?

Jennifer

Milwaukee, WI

Normally when driving out of your licensing state, in this case Wisconsin, your car insurance can be expected to follow the laws of the state in which you happen to be driving in. Minnesota happens to be a no-fault state. This simply means that those involved in an accident make their claims through their own car insurance, specifically the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) policy.

If your son doesn’t have his own car insurance, you, the car owner, will have to carry the burden through your own car insurance. Following the Minnesota PIP, you son is entitled to coverage of medical costs, replacement, wage loss, and even funeral expenses up to two thousand dollars. The minimum coverage amount is forty thousand dollars. Broken down, that’s twenty thousand dollars for medical expenses and the other twenty thousand for non-medical expenses. If things happen to cost more than this PIP limit, you or your son can claim against the other motorist’s liability coverage since he or she has been declared liable.

If you need more information and advice regarding claims for out-of-state accidents, don’t hesitate to contact the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which is the agency that regulates insurance in that state. Alternatively, you can get in touch with the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, the insurance regulator for your state.’

What can you suggest so that the SR22 filing that I would have to file will not be too costly?

Phoebe

Green Bay, WI

In Wisconsin, anyone driving a car is obliged to get car insurance by the law for protection. But if you just get yourself in a serious moving violation, you are going to be required by the law to file for an SR22 in Wisconsin on top of your regular auto insurance.

Typically, an SR22 Wisconsin costs a lot. Still there is no need for you to invest a lot for an SR22 premium even if it is mandated by the law. There are a number of insurance companies competing for the cheapest insurance rate so let take advantage of it and find the best SR22 insurance deal that suits your budget.

Insurers vary greatly with their insurance rates depending on certain factors. A statement such as the cheapest coverage may sound contradictory since a certain insurer offers a cheaper coverage for a certain group while others for the other type. Hence, a policy could only be cheaper if you have qualified for the conditions set by the insurer.

You can certainly rejoice over the stiff competition among insurers because it is giving us a chance to compare over their various offers. Nevertheless, we must be vigilant to these cheap SR22 Wisconsin packages that these insurance companies are claiming. Although a cheap coverage may not refer to a cheap quality but it could still be possible to happen under this circumstances.

Verify if the cheap policy that has been offered to you contains the necessary coverage that is applicable to you. If your cheap coverage contains low limit of liability coverage, then you might end up with an expensive insurance. Furthermore, you will also be paying the excess of your liability coverage in time of an at fault accident which would certainly be heavy on your pocket.

Quick question on non owner policy in Green Bay, Wisconsin: if I have auto insurance, will I need one if I keep driving another one’s car?

Miller

Green Bay, Wisconsin WI

I hope you are doing well, Miller.
Non-owner policy is also known as an operator policy. This is an insurance policy that provides basic mandatory liability coverage on any vehicle that you operate but does not own. This may be a friend’s vehicle or a company car used by you on the job. This policy may be written exclusive of your existing insurance in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

So that if other vehicles in the household have existing insurance, this policy may be issued discretely to satisfy the Wisconsin SR-22 high-risk auto insurance requirement. Your current insurance carrier in Green Bay does not need to be notified of your requirement for high-risk short term SR-22 insurance coverage. Be warned though about this particular one because if your local carrier discovers extreme violations, the premiums may be increased or the policy may be canceled.

These policies are issued by your auto insurance agent in cooperation with an acceptable insurance company licensed to operate in the State of Wisconsin. After the policy is issued, your auto insurer’s main office electronically files an SR-22 high-risk auto insurance form with the Wisconsin DMV Department of Financial Responsibility on the insured’s behalf. The issuing agent in Green Bay, Wisconsin also files an SR-22 insurance form with the State of Wisconsin and the insured receives a copy of the SR-22 insurance form along with the policy and proof of insurance cards.

A: You have to remember that the car insurance, at least the part of your car insurance required by law, isn’t for you at all. You have to have liability insurance so that if you crash into someone else’s car, you’ll be able to pay for their damages. Even a car as ancient as yours can cause damage. Beyond that, you are also required to have your SR22 policy if you want to drive at all. If you don’t have an SR22 form filed every month, then your license will be canceled. No getting out of it.

However, there is something you can do to make your SR22 car insurance premium cheaper than it currently is. Instead of trying to get rid of your car insurance altogether, simply try to get rid of as much of it as possible. Cut your coverage until you arrive at the minimum amount required by law.

If you’re worried about paying for damages you cause, you can cut your collision and comprehensive coverage but keep your SR22 liability coverage high. If you aren’t, then you can keep it at the minimum.