Department of Insurance Contact Information
Georgia Dept. of Insurance2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., West Tower, Suite 716Atlanta, GA 30334
Consumer Hotline1-404-656-2070 orToll Free: 1-800-656-2298
State Department Websitehttp://www.inscomm.state.ga.us/
File Complaint Websitehttp://www.gainsurance.org/consumerservice/Complaint.aspx
State Regulation
All registered vehicles in the state of Georgia must be insured: Georgia is not unlike most jurisdictions. If you drive a car, you must have it insured.
The state monitors your coverage: Georgia's Department of Revenue requires auto insurance companies to provide your policy information. The state monitors whether your policy is current through a database. You're allowed to visit the Department's database to make sure the information about you on file is accurate.
Get at least minimum liability insurance: In Georgia, minimum liability coverage is $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury to two or more persons, and $25,000 per accident for property damage. Remember, these are only minimum requirements.
Exemptions are available: Some drivers are eligible for exemptions from insurance coverage requirements or lapse fees. Appropriate situations include if the vehicle was sold, if the lease expired, if the owner moved out of state, if the vehicle was salvaged, or if the vehicle is stored. Members of the military also may be eligible. To find out more, consult the state of Georgia.
While it isn't required, you should carry proof of insurance in your car. If your company does not provide you with a proof of insurance card, ask for one or make a copy of your policy's declarations. The information could prove useful during an accident or a traffic stop - and you may be obligated to carry it if you're driving out of state. - Georgia will penalize you if your coverage lapses: A lapse in Georgia is only 10 days, so be sure to keep your policies current and notify the state if you change insurance carriers. In the case of lapse of coverage, you will be fined $25, plus a $60 reinstatement fee to make your registration valid. If you fail to rectify the situation and you drive with a suspended registration, you're committing a misdemeanor and could face additional fines and impoundment. Second and third offenses face tougher penalties.
Insurance is NOT required on:
Off-highway vehicles
Vehicles sold or the ownership transferred; Owner moved to another state or the ownership was transferred out of state; Vehicle lease was terminated
Vehicle was wrecked, salvaged, or junked; Vehicle was repossessed, stolen, or not driven because it was inoperable; Vehicle was stored or used seasonally for agricultural purposes
Those in the military: You are also exempt if deployed and the vehicle is not being driven. You will need to file an affidavit to claim your exemption. You can file this before, during, or after your deployment at your local tag office.
Penalties:
You could suffer stiff penalties and your vehicle registration could be suspended if your insurance policy lapses or is cancelled. The state defines the word "lapse" as 10 or more days without continuous coverage.
If your coverage lapses, you will be fined a $25 lapse fee and a $60 reinstatement fee before you can renew your license plates. It is a misdemeanor to drive a vehicle with a suspended registration, so you could face additional penalties, fines, or even impoundment if you are stopped by law enforcement without insurance coverage.
For second- and third-time insurance offenders, the penalties and fees increase. By the third offense, you will pay a $25 lapse fee and a $160 reinstatement fee, and your vehicle's registration will be suspended for six months. If you are convicted of driving the car during this time, even harsher penalties will apply.
Georgia will penalize you if your coverage lapses:
A lapse in Georgia is only 10 days, so be sure to keep your policies current and notify the state if you change insurance carriers. In the case of lapse of coverage, you will be fined $25, plus a $60 reinstatement fee to make your registration valid. If you fail to rectify the situation and you drive with a suspended registration, you're committing a misdemeanor and could face additional fines and impoundment. Second and third offenses face tougher penalties.
Requirements Regarding Proof of Insurance: Proof Required - When Obtaining Registration, If Involved In An Accident, If Stopped By Authorities When Driving
Penalties For Not Carrying Mandatory Insurance: Fine up to $1000 and jail term up to one year
Min Coverage:$25,000 for injury/death to one person
$50,000 for injury to more than one person
$25,000 for damage to property
source: http://www.automotive.com/georgia-auto-insurance-laws/index.html
Friday, September 4, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Uninsured Motorists/Higher Limits
Okay, unemployment is up to 10% in GA last time I checked, and the majority doesnt have the money to spend on insurance. Consequently, many of us are lowering our coverages to the minimum requirements. However, we can pay a hefty price for that in the end. Read this:
Originally posted On: May 5, 2008 by Christopher Simon
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage under Georgia Law
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage in Georgia. In 11 years of practicing as an Atlanta injury lawyer, I have found that the people that cause the most devastating injuries in automobile collisions tend to be uninsured and underinsured drivers. Bad drivers tend to have a lot of speeding tickets and prior collisions and cannot afford decent coverage. As a result, the at fault driver did not have enough liability insurance to repay my clients for the medical bills they incurred and the injuries they sustained.
Most drivers in Georgia operate with the minimum mandatory limits of $25,000.00. That may seem like a lot of money but that's only if you have not been to the hospital recently. For example, in Metro Atlanta, the typical ambulance ride costs $600.00, the Emergency room visit is at least $800, X-Rays cost around $250, an MRI is $1100, a CT scan can cost $2000 and so on. Even a modest trip to the emergency room usually costs around $2,000.00. Then there can be mountains of bills from physical therapy and medications. In short, even a simple auto accident case with sprained muscles that requires an ER visit and physical therapy can leave a person with over $5,000.00 in bills. If there are any broken bones, the value of the case in front of a jury quickly grows to over $25,000.00.
Now imagine you have been in an accident in Roswell, Georgia and a driver has totaled your car by negligently failed to leave enough following distance. You have gone to the hospital and learned that you have a herniated disc in your neck that is going to need surgery. The total cost for your medical expenses will be well over $45,000.00 which does not even include the amount of income you will lose for missing work during surgery and recovery. You make contact with the at-fault driver's insurance company and learn that the driver only had $25,000.00 in coverage and is not a wealthy person. Reality is that there may be no recovery for you beyond the $25,000.00. As your grandmother told you, you cannot get blood from a stone.
That is where Georgia Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist insurance coverages play a critical role. I suggest that everyone carry at least $100,000.00 in liability and $100,000.00 in Uninsured Motorist coverage. In Georgia (for the time being, there are big changes afoot in the legislature) if the situation described above occurred, you could collect the $25,000.00 from the at-fault driver and then another $75,000.00 from your own insurance company. In essence, the UM coverage "pretends" to be the insurance for the at fault driver. You are buying insurance that protects you from drivers with low end policies. And guess what coverages most bad drivers have? Yep, that's right, they have minimum limits policies because they get into frequent accidents and cannot afford more coverage. The bottom line is you cannot afford to go without the coverage. As an Atlanta injury lawyer I insist that my clients increase their coverage to at least 100/300 after they meet with me. Although it does not work retroactively, you would be shocked how many people have other crashes in the years to come.
Posted by Christopher Simon
http://www.atlanta-injury-attorney-blog.com/2008/05/uninsuredunderinsured_motorist.html
Originally posted On: May 5, 2008 by Christopher Simon
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage under Georgia Law
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage in Georgia. In 11 years of practicing as an Atlanta injury lawyer, I have found that the people that cause the most devastating injuries in automobile collisions tend to be uninsured and underinsured drivers. Bad drivers tend to have a lot of speeding tickets and prior collisions and cannot afford decent coverage. As a result, the at fault driver did not have enough liability insurance to repay my clients for the medical bills they incurred and the injuries they sustained.
Most drivers in Georgia operate with the minimum mandatory limits of $25,000.00. That may seem like a lot of money but that's only if you have not been to the hospital recently. For example, in Metro Atlanta, the typical ambulance ride costs $600.00, the Emergency room visit is at least $800, X-Rays cost around $250, an MRI is $1100, a CT scan can cost $2000 and so on. Even a modest trip to the emergency room usually costs around $2,000.00. Then there can be mountains of bills from physical therapy and medications. In short, even a simple auto accident case with sprained muscles that requires an ER visit and physical therapy can leave a person with over $5,000.00 in bills. If there are any broken bones, the value of the case in front of a jury quickly grows to over $25,000.00.
Now imagine you have been in an accident in Roswell, Georgia and a driver has totaled your car by negligently failed to leave enough following distance. You have gone to the hospital and learned that you have a herniated disc in your neck that is going to need surgery. The total cost for your medical expenses will be well over $45,000.00 which does not even include the amount of income you will lose for missing work during surgery and recovery. You make contact with the at-fault driver's insurance company and learn that the driver only had $25,000.00 in coverage and is not a wealthy person. Reality is that there may be no recovery for you beyond the $25,000.00. As your grandmother told you, you cannot get blood from a stone.
That is where Georgia Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist insurance coverages play a critical role. I suggest that everyone carry at least $100,000.00 in liability and $100,000.00 in Uninsured Motorist coverage. In Georgia (for the time being, there are big changes afoot in the legislature) if the situation described above occurred, you could collect the $25,000.00 from the at-fault driver and then another $75,000.00 from your own insurance company. In essence, the UM coverage "pretends" to be the insurance for the at fault driver. You are buying insurance that protects you from drivers with low end policies. And guess what coverages most bad drivers have? Yep, that's right, they have minimum limits policies because they get into frequent accidents and cannot afford more coverage. The bottom line is you cannot afford to go without the coverage. As an Atlanta injury lawyer I insist that my clients increase their coverage to at least 100/300 after they meet with me. Although it does not work retroactively, you would be shocked how many people have other crashes in the years to come.
Posted by Christopher Simon
http://www.atlanta-injury-attorney-blog.com/2008/05/uninsuredunderinsured_motorist.html
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Jokes about Insurance
Car Insurance Excuses
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.
The accident occured when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.
Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.
The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeard in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle and vanished.
I thought my window was down but found it was up when I put my hand through it.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran him over.
I saw the slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.
source:http://www.workjoke.com/insurance-agents-jokes.html
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.
The accident occured when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.
Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have.
The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeard in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle and vanished.
I thought my window was down but found it was up when I put my hand through it.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran him over.
I saw the slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.
source:http://www.workjoke.com/insurance-agents-jokes.html
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Keeping Car Insurance Costs Low - For Dummies
Check out this site for tips on keeping your insurance rates low!
Keeping Car Insurance Costs Low - For Dummies
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Keeping Car Insurance Costs Low - For Dummies
Shared via AddThis
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Texting while driving is dangerous, as graphically pointed out in this PSA
Texting while driving is dangerous, as graphically pointed out in this PSA
Check out this video and article, gives a very graphic way to defer people from texting while driving. For those of you who have kids who do this, you may want to show them this video.
Posted using ShareThis
Check out this video and article, gives a very graphic way to defer people from texting while driving. For those of you who have kids who do this, you may want to show them this video.
Posted using ShareThis
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