What is the penalty for driving without insurance in California?
Caught in a random check. Drivers caught operating a vehicle without valid insurance will be fined anywhere from $100 to $200 for a first offense, and between $200 and $500 for a second offense. Additionally, your vehicle may be impounded and towed away, in which case you will not be able to get it back until you obtain insurance and pay all towing and storage fees. Get into an accident. In California, your license will be suspended, possibly for up to four years. Bear in mind that this can happen whether or not you are at fault for the accident. You may be able to get your license reinstated after one year if you obtain valid insurance, provide proof of it to the DMV and pay a reissuance fee. You will also be required to obtain an SR-22 Proof of Financial Responsibility certificate and carry an additional high-cost SR-22 insurance policy on top of your regular one. Your vehicle may be impounded and towed from the scene. If that happens, you will be required to pay towing and storage fees before your vehicle is returned to you. Civil costs for an accident without insurance. If you are the party at fault, then you are responsible for the cost of all resulting damage. And that means everything: damage to all vehicles involved; and all medical costs for injuries to yourself, the other driver and any third-parties. This includes damage to other public and private property such as street signs and lights, bus stop fixtures, store fronts, etc. California requires all drivers to carry uninsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage means that if the other driver in your accident has it, his insurance company will compensate him for his losses even if the accident is your fault.Don't think that you are safe because of it. In fact, if you have assets, the other driver’s insurance company is likely to sue you to recover their costs. For e.g. suppose you get into an accident that is your fault resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in damage. If you have no vehicle insurance, but own a home with $100,000 in equity, the other party’s insurance company is likely to sue you to recover the thousands it paid out to their client. And you may lose your home.
Car accident: Other party not responding. What now?
the other company will not pay until she cooperates with them. so you are waiting for her to call back to her insurance company so they can verify the details of the accident. once they verify and determine she is at fault, they will pay you. since only liability on your policy, they cant help you. most companies have a certain amount of time that they have to make a decision which is usually around 30 days. if she fails to comply and they deny for non-cooperation, then file suit in small claims court. good luck
Is an Auto Repair Shop liable if my car is stolen while it is in their possession?
In New York there is something called proper care and custody,If you leave a car at a garage with the keys in it and it is stolen it it on you,HOWEVER,If you leave your car at a garage and it is locked and you give the keys to an employee of the shop or use the key drop off provided by the shop(if they have one) then the shop assumes some responsability for the car.If the car is stolen the shop will have to prove it did everything reasonally possible to prevent theft and or damage to a car If repairs are made and the vehicle is parked with the keys left in it and the car is stolen,the shop is responsible If there is a bunch of broken glass where the car was then mabye not as much,many factors come into play. Did the shop provide a safe well lit lot to leave the car?Did the shop even know the car was there? From personal experiance;I worked at a company with three service stations and a towing company. A customer "dropped off" a 4 year old chevy the night before for an oil change,filled out a key envelope,placed a set of keys in it and dropped it in the slot. The next day the car is gone and some broken glass is in the spot where the car was We call the number for the set of keys we have no car for and the person is going off with threats to sue. all said and done we were about to go to court to fight their insurance company(they paid the claim and were coming after us for damages)when our tow company gets a call from a man who wants to tow a car (the same make model and year as the stolen car) he bought to his house, The car had to be towed because it had no papers or title and was sold to him as a "parts car"The driver called in the VIN to the dispatch and they checked it against the police report and the police were promptly called
If I am at fault in a car accident, will the insurance company of the other driver fix my car?
If you're in an auto accident and you're at fault:If you have collision coverage insurance your carrier will pay for your repairs less your deductible. If you don't have collision coverage you will pay for your own repairs. The other driver and their carrier owes you nothing. If you have liability coverage insurance your carrier will fix the other car, or reimburse that drivers carrier if they paid first and will pay for injuries to the other driver, if any. If you don't have liability coverage the other drivers collision coverage carrier will pay for repairs and then can go after you. If the driver doesn't have collision coverage and you don't have liability coverage then that driver can/will come after you directly. It is common for drivers of older low value autos to have liability insurance but not collision coverage for the repair of their own vehicle.Note: many states including California have financial responsibly laws making it illegal to drive without minimum liability insurance. Amongst the consequences for violating the law is to lose your driver's license. Not offered or intended as legal advice.
Do I have to pay the deductible if my car was hit while parked at my residence by a person unknown?
I was sideswiped by a truck who swerved into my lane. The only damage was to my drivers side mirror and window. I did not get their license number because because I had glass all over me. The truck drove on without stopping. I called the highway patrol and filed a report. Yes I had to pay my deductible even though I was not at fault.I had a Bronco 2 that I had parked just off the street. So far off the street it was actually in the ditch. They had to go out of their way to hit it but hit it they did and they drove off without notifying me. I again called the highway patrol and did everything I was supposed to and again I had to pay my deductible.There have been other incidents like that and its why I no longer carry $500 deductible.There were many times at work where I’d see someone with a damaged car telling folks that they’d hit a deer and the insurance would not pay. When I’d question them a bit I’d found out they’d chosen to carry $500 deductible and could not afford to get their car fixed.