Hesperia Car Insurance
If you live in the Mojave Desert in the city of Hesperia, you required to comply with California financial responsibility laws when you are the registered owner of a vehicle and drive that vehicle on any public roads.
This financial responsibility law is in place to ensure that anyone who drives a motor vehicle can financially pay for any damage they are negligent for. Failure to provide proof of coverage financially responsible to a California Department of Motor Vehicles representative or a law enforcement officer can lead to costly penalties.
Read this consumer guide to Hesperia car insurance, and learn about compulsory insurance laws, the types of coverage that is available to you, and how to find the best insurer in the industry.
Then, after you've finished reading, enter your zip code above for FREE car insurance rates that you can afford!
Acceptable Types of Proof
Driving is not just a privilege, it is a huge responsibility. Being irresponsible behind the wheel can cause both damages and injuries to unsuspecting injuries.
This is why you must be financially responsible every time that you start your engines and drive in the desert. There are three different ways that you can prove you are financially capable of paying for the damages when you are 51% or more at fault for the incident.
Here is a breakdown of different types of financial responsibility:
- File a $35,000 surety bond with the DMV by a company licensed in CA.
- Pay a cash deposit in the amount of $35,000 with the DMV.
- Purchase motor vehicle liability insurance from a company licensed in California.
Why Buying Car Insurance in Hesperia is the Best Option
While there is not a mandatory auto insurance law in California, buying liability insurance is the best way to satisfy the financial responsibility laws for a number of reasons.
One of the biggest reasons is because you can purchase thousands of dollars of coverage for a nominal amount of money that you pay each month.
Another major reason why it is in your interest to comply with CA laws by buying insurance is because you will have an insurance company by your side to help you if you ever need to file a claim. The insurer will investigate the claim for you, fight for your interests, pay claims up to the limit on your policy, and appear in court for you if you are sued.
Passing the financial burden of paying for damages on to an insurer that has millions in assets will also give you peace of mind that you will not have your wages garnished or assets repossessed when in an accident.
This is why auto insurance is such an important financial product, even if you have other options to self-insure.
How much insurance must you purchase?
Now that you understand why auto insurance is so important, you will need to know mandatory coverage requirements.
Drivers who live in Hesperia and surrounding areas like San Bernardino and Victorville must carry a minimum amount of liability car insurance. All other coverage options, while they must be offered to you, are considered optional because they can be rejected. Here are the coverage requirements and what is covered:
Here are the coverage requirements and what is covered:
Bodily Injury Liability
Bodily Injury Liability is the first form of third-party liability coverage that will pay when you are negligent for an accident and found to be more than 51% at fault.
This coverage option will offer payment for the hospital bills of pedestrians and passengers in a third-party vehicle.
In order for your coverage to pay, you, a listed driver or a person you have given permission to must be driving the covered vehicle. In California, you must carry at least $15,000 each person/$30,000 each accident in BI coverage.
Property Damage Liability
You are also required to pay for physical damage that you cause to property in an at-fault accident.
For example, if you damage two vehicles and you also mow down a fence along the way, you repair or replace the item for the person who owned the items. Your auto insurance must include Property Damage coverage in the amount of $5000.
This $5000 limit applies to each accident and not to the number of vehicles or tangible items that are damaged, so it is in your best interest to purchase higher limit.
What types of cover are offered?
Insurance companies in Hesperia and all throughout California are required to offer their applicants the option to buy Medical Payments coverage and Uninsured Motorist.
Each of these coverage options will pay you and not a third-party. Once you are offered the coverages in writing, you can reject them if you do not want to pay more or you feel like it is duplicate coverage.
Before you reject these coverage options, you should understand what they protect you against.
Medical Payments
Medical payments is a benefit that pays for hospital bills and the expenses of passengers in your vehicle if they are injured in an accident.
This coverage will also pay if you are a pedestrian or someone in your family is injured as a pedestrian. Payment will be issued regardless of who is at fault and the limits on your policy are per person and not per accident.
Insurers must offer you no less than $1000, but up to $100,000 in coverage.
Uninsured Motorist
Believe it or not, but the statistics show that about 14.7 percent of the population in California is uninsured.
Based on the population in Hesperia, this means that about 1 in 7 drivers, or 13,500 people in the city, are putting you at risk on a daily basis. To stay protected against drivers who break the law, you have the right to buy Uninsured Motorist Protection (UM).
UM will pay for your injuries, up to your limits, if you are hurt in an accident where the at-fault party has no liability insurance. In a sense, it is like carrying Bodily Injury protection that pays you. You must be offered the same minimum limits as the Bodily Injury requirements in the state.
The maximum you can carry will match your liability limits. You can also add a rider that will waive your physical damage deductible or pay up to $3500 in Property Damage coverage to repair a car that does not have collision.
What types of coverage can help pay for your other expenses?
Now that you know about requirements, you should familiarize yourself with other coverage options that will help you recover from a loss quickly.
If you hold the title to your car, you may not think that you need physical damage coverage or other forms of protection. You should reconsider this and at least price the cost of coverage before you build a bare bones policy. Here are some insurance options that you should contemplate:
- Comprehensive and Collision - Both are physical damage coverages that provide you with payment up to the car's value in Hesperia to repair the car or replace it when it suffers a covered loss. Comprehensive pays for non-moving losses like fire, theft, and vandalism and collision pays for moving accidents regardless of fault.
- Gap - Gap insurance is for drivers who are financing their cars. If you owe more on your vehicle than it is worth when it is totaled, this coverage will pay off the remainder of your loan.
- Rental car - If you have a single car and you need a replacement when your car is being repaired in a Hesperia collision center, you should buy rental car reimbursement so that your insurer will pay for your rental car to save you financially.
How to Choose a Reputable Insurer
You should always consider more than just price when choosing an insurer. You can qualify insurers by researching them. There are a few important factors to consider. Here are some tips to avoid choosing an insurer that does not care about their customers:
- Check the company's financial stability by looking up their ranking with AM Best or Standard & Poors. If the ranking in strong, keep the company on your list.
- Complaints can be a red flag. Check the company's complaint index with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and see if complaints are common.
- Claims satisfaction is important. Verify that you can choose your own repair shop and that the company uses OEM parts in repairs to ensure that you get what you pay for.
The most effective way to find the most competitive rates is to use a comparison tool.
By shopping online and comparing rates, you can find the most competitive price without spending a great deal of time. Be sure to compare pricing for different limits and options, and always qualify an insurer before you trust them to provide you with coverage.
After you find a stable and reputable insurer, you can bind your coverage and feel relief.
Start your search for a reputable insurer now! Just enter your zip code below to browse through car insurance rates from top companies in your area!