West Virginia wants to make sure that drivers are protected from financial ruin if they happen to swerve to miss that deer and hit another driver or anything else. To do this they required that every vehicle have liability insurance. This means that you have to sign a statement when you register your car that you have the required insurance coverage that meets the state mandated requirement.

Make sure that you keep a copy of your policy or proof of your insurance in your car at all times. If a police office pulls you over they will want to see a copy of it. You will be required, by law, to show it to them. If you do not have it on you, you will have to show a copy of it in court, and it will have to be dated prior to the date that you were pulled over or you will have to face the penalty for operating your vehicle without insurance.

The very least you have to have is $20,000 in bodily injury coverage for the medical and funeral expenses of anyone in the other vehicle that you injure. This has to be covered to a maximum of $40,000 for all persons in the same accident. This is not just for vehicles; this is for anything that your vehicle hits.

You will have to also have $10,000 to help pay for the repairs and/or replacement of any property that is damaged in the accident. It may not pay for all the damages but it will help. With that in mind, it is a good idea to consider getting more coverage than the minimum. The more the insurance pays the less you will have to.

If you are not at fault keep in mind that if the person who is does not have insurance in West Virginia the law allows you, the injured party, to sue them in Civil Court where you can get a judgment against them that will suspend their registration until your expenses are reimbursed.

The penalties for not meeting the minimum requirements are that you can be fined and held accountable as mentioned above in a civil court. You can be fined up to $5,000 and have your driver’s license suspended for 30 days as well. Driving without insurance really is not worth the risk.

Drive through the winding roads of Charleston or Morgantown, West Virginia and enjoy the alpine landscaping. You will not be disappointed. There are many things to see, but make sure you watch for the wildlife, like any place that is full of natural wonder it is full of animals roaming about as well. Animals stepping into highways are a huge cause of accidents.