Vehicle owners in Utah are required to maintain certain minimum amounts of auto insurance coverage on any car or truck they want to register and operate in the state. Specifically, those minimums are:
Note that these are simply the minimum coverage amounts that are required under Utah law. In many situations, you can and should purchase additional coverage. For example, Utah does not require vehicle owners to carry comprehensive coverage, but if you finance or lease a vehicle, you may very well be contractually required to add this kind of protection to your car insurance policy.
What does it mean that Utah is a no-fault car insurance state? If you are injured in a car accident, you must turn first to your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits, no matter who was at fault for the crash. In some situations, a no-fault claim may be your only recourse after a car accident.
Before you can file a lawsuit against another driver, you must first have incurred a minimum amount of medical expenses (currently the threshold is $3,000 in Utah) due to the accident. You may also file a lawsuit if you suffer certain types of "serious injuries," which in Utah includes:
For more information about how no-fault claims work in Utah, visit our article Utah No-Fault Auto Insurance Laws and Regulations.
The penalties for driving "without owner's or operator's security" are set by Utah Code section 41-12a-202, which says this kind of offense is considered a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $400 for a first offense, and $1,000 for any subsequent offense committed within three years of the first offense. These fines will be levied on a vehicle owner who drives the vehicle or permits it to be driven by someone else, and on anyone who drives the vehicle knowing that the owner does not have "security" (insurance).