The Oregon Department of Transportation requires that all drivers carry liability insurance, or “financial responsibility,” on their vehicles in order to operate a vehicle legally on Oregon roadways, and to maintain legal vehicle registration.
The minimum financial responsibility requirements for Oregon drivers are as follow:
A minimum of $25,000 per person, for bodily injury or death. This means you’ll need to carry a minimum of $50,000 to cover the lowest possible number of people involved in an accident (the two drivers).
A minimum $20,000 for property damage liability
A minimum of $15,000 pf personal injury protection, which helps pay for your medical expenses resulting from an accident.
A minimum of of $25,000 per person, for uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage, which covers the cost associated with an accident in which the other driver was not properly insured. This means you’ll need to carry a minimum of $50,000 to cover the lowest possible number of people involved in an accident (the two drivers).
The total minimum amount of financial responsibility you will need is $135,000 to cover bodily injury or death, property damage liability, personal injury protection, and uninsured or under-insured insurance.
Proof of insurance
In order to register your vehicle in Oregon, you must present proof of insurance. You must also keep a proof of insurance document in your vehicle, because you are required to show it during a traffic stop or at the scene of an accident.
Acceptable forms of proof of insurance includes the following document:
A current insurance ID card
A current insurance binder or policy
A signed letter from your insurance provider or agent, on company letterhead
A certificate of self-insurance from the Oregon Department of Transportation
Random insurance verification
Oregon maintains an electronic monitoring system that randomly select drivers each month for a random verification. These drivers will be sent a letter that request for the name of their insurance company, and their policy number. The information that the driver provides is then verified with the insurance company.
If you fail to respond to this random verification request, your driver’s license will be suspended. If you provide false information, you will be required to file an SR-22 for the following three years. An SR-22 is a Proof of Financial Responsibility document that guarantees your coverage for the specified length of time (in this case, three years).
Violation penalties
If you do not carry the legally required financial responsibility in Oregon, you could face several penalties. These include:
Fines
Suspension of your driver’s license for up to one year
Your vehicle could be towed. In this instance, you are required to pay the towing and storage fees in addition to any fines that were issued.
Required filing of an SR-22 document
For more information, or to renew your vehicle’s registration online, contact the Oregon Department of Transportation through their website.
