Car Insurance Requirements in South Carolina

In South Carolina, all drivers are required to have liability insurance. However, the state has set certain requirements for how much insurance every driver has to have.

Required Car Insurance

The purpose of liability insurance is for damages and losses to be paid to the other party in the event of an accident. In South Carolina, all drivers must meet the following minimum requirements for liability coverage:

• $25,000 to cover property damage
• $50,000 for either death or total bodily injury per accident
• $25,000 in death or bodily injury for every person

All drivers must also meet the same minimum coverage limits in uninsured motorist coverage. This type of insurance is designed to pay for whatever damages and losses that an individual driver incurs if he or she is involved in an accident caused by another person who does not have car insurance. Additionally, all registered uninsured drivers who cause a car accident are required to pay for any medical or property damage costs out of their own pocket.

Proof of Car Insurance

When drivers are involved in a car accident or stopped by a law enforcement official, they have to show proof that they have insurance. Those who are registered uninsured motorists can also show their application of approval.  Drivers who do not have proof of insurance when they are pulled over by a law enforcement official will be ticketed and fined. After drivers receive a citation for this traffic offense, they have to give proof to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles that they meet the state’s minimum insurance requirements within a 30-day period. Otherwise, they are at risk of having their license suspended.

Drivers who are involved in a car accident and cannot show that they have insurance may receive a Notice of Requirement (FR-10) from the law enforcement official who shows up at the scene. After this form is received, drivers have to have this form completed by their insurance provider and submit it to the SCDMV within 15 days after the collision occurs. If this does not happen, drivers may have either their vehicle’s registration or driver’s license suspended.

Drivers who cannot show proof of insurance after they are involved in a car accident or pulled over and fined by a law enforcement official may wonder how this offense will affect their finances and ability to drive. When this occurs, drivers may benefit from seeking legal counsel from the attorneys at the office of Nosal & Jeter, LLP.