Auto Insurance Requirements in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Fraud

Pennsylvania loses millions of dollars to insurance fraud every year. According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, dollars lost on insurance fraud, nationally, run in the billions. There are many types of auto insurance fraud, including:

• Making a false insurance claims for automobile damage that existed previously.
• Auto accidents that are staged, often by people involved in auto-accident crime rings.
• Claim injuries that do not exist or exaggerating minor injuries in order to collect more from the insurance company.
• Parking a vehicle in a storage unit and filing an insurance claim for a stolen vehicle.
• Making an insurance claim for an auto accident that happened prior to the commencement of insurance coverage.
• Filing a claim for an excluded driver and stating that one of the covered drivers caused the accident.

Penalties for Pennsylvania insurance fraud can involve jail time, huge fines and more. A person accused of insurance fraud will also have to pay restitution and attorney fees. A conviction of insurance fraud is a felony.

Pennsylvania Alcohol-Related Accidents

Total crash deaths in Pennsylvania equal roughly 1,300 each year. Of these fatalities, approximately 450 of them are alcohol related. This amounts to one-third of Pennsylvania's traffic fatalities being related to alcohol intoxication by drivers. Total alcohol-related crashes in Pennsylvania run around 12,000 yearly. Sadly, roughly 30 percent of Pennsylvania's drunk driving deaths each year involve children and young adults, aged 11 through 20.

 National: 31

Pennsylvania's Unusual Laws

All states have outdated and strange laws on their books, and Pennsylvania is no exception. Here are a few interestingPennsylvania laws:

• "Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue."
• "You may not sing in the bathtub."
• "Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass."

Driving in Pennsylvania

Driving through Pennsylvania is a tour into American History. Motorists can drive through Gettysburg, visit Civil War museums, travel through farmlands and quaint towns, visit farmers' markets and bazaars and drive over several of Pennsylvania's historic covered bridges. Anyone visiting Pennsylvania should be sure to experience the town ofHershey. Did you know that it is considered America's Chocolate Capitol?

Pennsylvania Insurance Requirements

Drivers in Pennsylvania can establish financial responsibility for liability in two ways:

• By purchasing liability insurance that meets Pennsylvania's insurance requirements.
• By being self-insured.

The State of Pennsylvania requires the following minimumcoverages:

• For injury or death of one person in one accident: $15,000
• For injuries of more than one person in one accident: $30,000
• For property damage coverage: $5,000

Motorists must show proof of insurance upon demand by a law enforcement officer. Failure to have proof of insurance can result in a suspension of registration and license plates for three months and the payment of reinstatement fees.

 National: 783.01