Missouri Car Insurance

Legal Requirements for Car Insurance in Missouri

The law in the state of Missouri requires all drivers to maintain minimum liability Missouri car insurance coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 per accident for property damage. The law also requires that each driver maintains uninsured motorist coverage, which covers the driver if the at-fault other driver in an accident did not maintain sufficient insurance, in the amount of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury.

Nonresidents driving in the state of Missouri must maintain auto insurance coverage as required by the laws of their home state, the state in which they are licensed to drive or their vehicle is registered.

There are three ways to meet the insurance requirements of the State of Missouri:

A driver may obtain and maintain an insurance policy with coverage at least equal to the state minimums. Proof of insurance must be carried in the vehicle at all times.

A driver may, instead of an insurance policy, submit proof of financial responsibility as guaranty that the driver or the vehicle's owner will and is able to personally cover bodily injury costs and property damage resulting from an at-fault accident, up to the amounts required by law. This may consist of a surety bond, a real estate bond, or a deposit of cash or negotiable securities. Proof of financial security must be filed with the Missouri Department of Revenue.

A driver may carry a Certificate of Self-Insurance issued by the Department of Revenue. This assures that a company or religious organization will pay bodily injury and property damage costs resulting from an at-fault accident up to the amounts required by law.

For more information on insurance law in Missouri, visit the Missouri Department of Insurance.

Missouri Driving and Vehicle Statistics

In 2010, 38,390 vehicle collisions occurred in Missouri with personal injuries or fatalities, and 112,963 car crashes with significant property damage; 821 people were killed in automobile accidents in 2010 in the state, and 54,875 people were injured, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Use of seat belts has increased slightly as of 2011 from earlier years, but it remains below the national average. On average nationwide, seat belts are buckled for drivers 85 percent of the time. Overall in Missouri, that figure is 79 percent, and for some categories of drivers, teenage drivers and pickup-truck drivers in particular, it is even lower. Failure to wear seat belts increases the chance of an injury or fatality resulting from a collision. Likely for this reason as well as others, Missouri ranks poorly nationwide in traffic fatalities as a ratio of miles driven.

The state's highways that are part of the Interstate Highway System are in fairly good repair for the most part. The state ranks consistently in the top half of states for maintenance of highways and usually in the top 15. However, Missouri's many bridges are another matter, with some 30 percent of the state's bridges in need of repair or renovation. This increases traffic congestion problems at many bridges, adding to the likelihood of a vehicle collision.

Auto thefts in the state of Missouri are not in the top 10 states nationwide, nor is any Missouri city among the worst urban areas for this crime. That said, auto theft is a concern for drivers anywhere, most auto thefts occurring in suburban areas rather than urban or rural areas. A stolen car is covered by the optional "comprehensive" coverage on a car insurance policy, not by the liability and uninsured motorist coverage mandated by Missouri law.

The cars most frequently stolen are late-model, relatively expensive vehicles and trucks including the Cadillac Escalade, Ford F-250, Dodge Charger, and Hummer H2.

Another reason to invest in comprehensive coverage in Missouri is due to the likelihood of animal collisions in rural areas. Liability and property damage coverage will not generate any coverage in these incidents unless the animal belongs to someone, and even then it will not cover damage to the driver's car resulting from the incident.

Insurance Companies, Rates, and Quotes

All major nationwide car insurance carriers operate in the state of Missouri. Missouri auto insurance ratings can vary widely, depending on the carrier, the driving record, and the coverage desired, with the driving record representing the biggest single factor influencing Missouri auto insurance quotes. At-fault accidents and traffic tickets remain on a driver's record for at least three years and push Missouri car insurance quotes up dramatically. Some offenses, such as driving while intoxicated and hit-and-run incidents, remain on the record for longer still.

Three companies surpass others in Missouri for cheap car insurance. Those three companies are Geico, State Farm, and American Family. However, there is a caveat to this advice; all three of these companies provide cheap auto insurance in Missouri only to drivers with few or no incidents on their record. State Farm will not even cover new drivers who have more than two points on their records unless they are in the same household with a preferred driver. The companies prefer to cover drivers with perfectly clean records, and their Missouri car insurance ratings for less-preferred drivers can be more expensive than those of some other companies, assuming they will cover them at all. Assuming a clean driving record, these three companies represent a good choice in terms of both premium and service. Of those three companies, Geico appears to have the fastest claim processing service, and State Farm the most personal attention; the company operates through individual agents each of which tries to be on a first-name basis with clients.

With a poorer driving record, it may be more useful to ask an independent insurance broker for the cheapest quote possible given the circumstances. Many less prominent insurance carriers offer better rates to less desirable drivers than the big name insurance companies such as Geico and State Farm, although they generally don't offer as good a deal to drivers with very clean records. It may in that case be a better idea to go with a carrier whose name is not advertised prominently on television.

In all cases, however, the worst mistake one can make is to drive without insurance.