North Dakota Automobile Insurance Minimums

 North Dakota state law requires that all motor vehicles registered and operated in the state carry certain minimum insurance coverages.

The coverages and minimum limits mandated by law are:

    * Bodily Injury Liability: $25,000 per person (the maximum amount payable to one person)/$50,000 per accident (the maximum amount payable to all people injured in one accident). Bodily injury liability provides coverage for claims brought against you for bodily injury caused to another person through the operation of your vehicle.

    * Property Damage Liability: $25,000 per accident. Property damage liability provides coverage for claims brought against you for damage caused to someone else's property through the operation of your vehicle. Also covers damage to a car you rent for personal use on a short-term basis.

    * Uninsured Motorist Coverage: $25,000 per person/ $50,000 per accident. Uninsured motorist provides you coverage for a bodily injury claim you would have against another driver who does not have insurance. This coverage does not pay for physical damage to your vehicle.

    * Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Underinsured motorist coverage must be equal to the uninsured motorist coverage. Underinsured motorist provides you coverage for a bodily injury claim you would have against another driver whose liability coverage is less than your underinsured coverage.

    * Basic No-Fault: $30,000 per person. Basic no-fault provides you coverage for economic loss (such as medical expenses and work loss) as a result of an accidental injury in your auto- without regard to fault. No-fault is also known as Personal Injury Protection or PIP.

Insurance companies do offer higher liability, uninsured, underinsured and no-fault benefits as an option. You can also purchase the following nonmandatory coverages:

    * Collision Coverage: Provides coverage for physical damage to your vehicle that is caused by colliding with some other vehicle or object, or on overturning the vehicle. It pays regardless of who causes the accident.

    * Comprehensive Coverage: Provides coverage for physical damage to your vehicle caused by items other than "collision" such as theft, fire, vandalism, hail, falling objects, or hitting an animal.

    * Towing: Provides coverage to reimburse you for towing expenses involved in an emergency situation.

    * Death and Dismemberment: Provides accidental death and dismemberment coverage.

    * GAP Coverage: Provides payment to your lender for the difference between the amount of your auto loan and the actual cash value payment, if your vehicle is either stolen or a total loss.

North Dakota car insurance law provides that the degree of fault or responsibility for an accident can be apportioned on a percentage basis among all the parties involved. This percentage is the amount each party contributed to causing the accident. The amount either party can recover in damages is reduced by the percentage of fault attributable to that party. However, a party cannot recover any damages if the percentage of fault he or she is assessed for the accident is as great as the combined fault of all other parties who contributed to the accident.

Driving without liability insurance is a class B misdemeanor and is punishable by a mandatory fine of at least $150. Additionally, if you are involved in any accident, the state will assess 14 points against your drivers license, resulting in a suspension of your license.

North Dakota law requires that the property damage liability coverage of your personal auto policy provide coverage in the event you cause damage to a vehicle you have rented for less than 30 days.