Department
of Transportation just as well be in a foreign language!
Does anyone really understand all the
FAQs?
The question someone asked me today
was:
What do I do about
insurance and purchasing a car in a state I don’t live in?
Many people do not understand that
when you register a car, the insurance must match the registration. Every state
wants to be sure you are in compliance with the state laws. EVERY state requires you to carry liability
insurance on a car you are driving on their roads. HOWEVER, each state
determines how strict or lax they are in enforcing these laws.
This
may be why you get so many different answers when you ask someone.
Getting on the Department of
Transportation’s website? Well, it can
be so hard to find the answer on those web sites! They just need to spell it out in human
language, simply-- “You need an insurance card for the car you are registering
in the state you are registering. Don’t waste our time unless you have one in
hand!” I’m sure the department employees go through this every day; that may
explain why some are devoid of human emotion or patience.
Well I don’t blame them. It seems so easy to them. They do it
EVERY DAY!
Let me ask you--how
many times do you register your car in another state? How many times a year do
you need an ID card from another state? I’m
guessing not very often!
Just in case this does happen to you, here are the steps:
·
Determine which car you are going to buy
·
Tell your insurance agent the year, make, model,
odometer & VIN
·
Pay the first month’s payment on the insurance
(You should always expect there will be an initial payment for the insurance)
over the phone
·
Get the Insurance card by email or fax
(depending on where you are and how fast you need it and what the agent’s requirements
are for delivery)
Once you have the Insurance card, you have insurance on that
car. This is a Temporary card; expect a
permanent one in the mail in about 30-60 days. If you do not get one, you must
contact your agent, ASAP!
