Georgia’s insurance laws require drivers to maintain continuous auto insurance coverage in order to register and lawfully operate their vehicles on Georgia’s roadways. To comply with the law, residents must maintain bodily injury liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, along with $25,000 in property damage. To ensure its residents comply, the Georgia Department of Driver Services and the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commission utilize electronic and manual methods to verify insurance coverages.
Additional Coverages
Although not required, Georgia drivers have the option to select additional coverages for supplementary protection. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage protects policyholders from injuries and damages caused by uninsured and underinsured drivers. Georgia drivers can also select comprehensive and collision coverages, often referred to as physical damage coverages, to protect their vehicles against damages caused by fire, theft, acts of nature and acts of animals, as well as colliding with another vehicle or object.
Requirements
Along with maintaining auto insurance, Georgia requires its drivers to carry proof of insurance in their vehicles at all times. Drivers must present their insurance card after being involved in an accident and upon the request of an officer or Georgia official.
GEICS
Although the auto insurance card is required, it is only a back-up to the electronic verification methods. The State of Georgia uses the Georgia Electronic Insurance Compliance System, or GEICS, to verify insurance coverage. This electronic database allows Georgia officials to verify driver compliance to the auto insurance laws in real-time. Each of Georgia’s auto insurance carriers is required to enter their policyholders’ information into the system. Upon policy inception, the carrier has 30 days to transmit the information which includes the policyholder’s name, listed drivers, drivers’ license numbers, vehicle identification numbers and policy inception and expiration dates. The insurance carrier is required to update the information if the policy is cancelled, regardless of reason.
Noncompliance
Drivers that fail to comply with Georgia’s auto insurance requirements are subject to steep penalties and fines which can include a 5-year license suspension, revocation of vehicle registration, vehicle impound and several hundred dollars in reinstatement fees. Drivers are issued notification of noncompliance in the mail and have 30 days to comply before penalties and fines are applied.
Relief
The State of Georgia defines a lapse in insurance coverage as going ten or more days without coverage. If this lapse occurs, drivers are automatically flagged in the electronic database as noncompliant. However, drivers who have sold or transferred their vehicles, filed a total loss claim or had their vehicle stolen or repossessed can seek relief from the state’s auto insurance requirement. To do so, drivers must complete the Georgia Form MV-18J: Affidavit for Mandatory Insurance Relief of Lapse/Pending Suspension & Suspension Fees. The form must be signed, notarized and deposited at the County Tax Commissioner’s office. This provides drivers with relief from the insurance requirements until the driver seeks another vehicle registration.
How to Save
Outside of keeping your driving and accident histories free of incidents, there are several steps you can take to save money on your Georgia insurance policy. First, never allow your policy to lapse. If you allow your policy to cancel, for any reason without replacing the coverage, you become a high-risk driver to insurance carriers which can result in an automatic increase in the available rates.
If you carry physical damage coverages, choose the higher deductibles in order to reduce your insurance carrier’s risk. The deductible is the amount of money you pay towards the repair of your vehicle which reduces the amount of money your insurance carrier is required to pay for the claim. Increasing physical damage deductibles usually results in a lower policy premium.
Seek out your available discounts. Ask your insurance representative about the discounts that are available to you. Insurance discounts can reduce the policy premium by as much as 20 percent. These insurance discounts include reductions for affiliation memberships, good driving and student records, anti-theft systems and multiple vehicles to name a few.
Don’t be afraid to shop around. Georgia’s auto insurance market is a competitive one, filled with hundreds of quality auto insurance carriers. If you believe that you are paying too much for your auto insurance, do some comparison shopping to confirm or deny your belief. Be sure to have your current auto insurance policy available during the quoting process. If you find a more competitive rate with another carrier, feel free to set up the new policy and cancel your old policy. Just make sure that you cancel your old policy after your new one is in force to avoid a lapse in coverage, and the resulting consequences.
