The penalties for not maintaining proper insurance on your vehicle in Montana are quite significant. The first offense can cost you up to $500 and 10 days in jail. If that weren’t enough you can also receive 5 points added to your driving record. Subsequent violations will result in a fine of at least $350, the 10 day jail stint, and your license being suspended for 3 months. Not having car insurance is just not worth the risk of these penalties.

The minimum that you have to have is 25/50/10. Bodily injury liability coverage has to be at the very least $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for all people in the same accident. This covers the people injured by your vehicle. This coverage pays for medical and/or funeral expenses that are were directly caused by the accident. Property damage has to be at least $10,000 in coverage. This will repair or replace what you have damaged with your vehicle.

You will want to maintain car insurance at a level that makes sense for your personal situation. You will not be able to buy less than the minimums that the State of Montana requires. You can, however buy more than is required. If you consider the cost of medical expenses, it is not a bad idea. Anything that goes beyond the coverage that you have purchased will come out of your own bank account. If the situation is bad enough you may have to sell personal items just to pay off the expenses from one accident, possibly even your car. Not a great option, by any stretch of the imagination.

If you are dead set against buying insurance, you can purchase a surety bond or if you have enough extra cash to do it, you can put down a $55,000 deposit with the State Treasurer’s office.

Because Montana uses a tort system to determine fault, you could easily find yourself in civil court being sued for damages that were caused by the accident you were in.

Whatever you decide, keeping your car covered is the right and best way to go. You wouldn’t want to skip out on your obligation to take care of someone you hurt, and having car insurance will help you do just that. Montana is a beautiful state. One of the largest in the nation, but it has a very small density. That doesn’t mean that you will sink into the ground when you walk across it. It means that there are not a lot of people living in the state. In fact, Montana has the third lowest density in the Nation. Not bad if you like hunting and fishing, or sightseeing. Some of the most scenic areas in the Nation are here as well. Places like the site of the battle of little bighorn, where Custer met his demise. Both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, (Yellowstone is where Old Faithful steams), are right here in Montana. Whatever you do or whereever you go in Montana, just make sure you are well covered on your auto insurance. There is nothing worst than getting pulled over and sited for not having car insurance. So no matter where you decide to go in Montana, if you are driving than you will need to make sure that your car has the proper insurance coverage.