How to be Compliant While Driving in Kansas

In Kansas, you will need to maintain three types of car insurance coverage in order to operate a motor vehicle. You need to have liability, personal injury protection, and coverage to protect against uninsured or underinsured drivers. Kansas has a "no fault" system, which means that your provider will pay for injury coverage, no matter who was at fault. There are two ways to obtain this vital protection in Kansas. The most common way is to purchase a plan that includes liability protection. You can also choose to self-insure.

Requirements You Should Consider

• In Kansas, the law requires that you obtain liability insurance for $25,000 for one person for bodily injury, $50,000 for an accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 for each accident for property damage. You can always choose to purchase higher amounts, but this is the bare minimum.
• Kansas requires that you obtain personal injury protection. You are required to get at least $4,500 for each person to pay for medical expenses, $900 a month to pay for disability or loss of income for a year, $25 per day to cover in-home services for a year, $2,000 to cover the costs of funeral, burial or cremation, and $4,500 to cover rehabilitation expenses. An accident could end up more costly than this, so you may wish to opt for more coverage.
• Kansas requires that you have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person, and $50,000 per accident.
• If you wish to self-insure, you will have to contact the Kansas Insurance Department. They can be reached at 1-800-432-2484.

Carry Proof at All Times

While you are driving, you are required to have proof of insurance with you. Your insurer will provide you with a certificate or card to put in your car. If you are self-insured, you will have to carry a self-insurance certificate. A police officer may require you to provide proof of protection if you are stopped. Your provider will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles if your policy expires.

Failure to Maintain Your Policy

Make sure that you continue to pay your premiums. In Kansas, it is considered a Class B misdemeanor to drive without proof. Your first offense can result in a fine totaling up to $1,000. If you fail to pay this fine, you could end up spending six months in the county jail. If, within three years of your first offense of not having proof, you get another citation, you can get a fine of up to $2,500. You could also lose your car's registration and have your license suspended. You will have to have proof of being protected and pay reinstatement fees in order to get your license and registration back.

Other Add-ons You May Want

In addition to liability, personal injury protection, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, you may wish to obtain collision and comprehensive add-ons. Collision will help pay for the expenses that it costs to repair your vehicle if it is damaged, and it will pay to replace your car if it is totaled. It will only pay for your car's value, not the amount that you owe on your vehicle (you would have to pay for gap coverage if you wanted that). Comprehensive will pay for damages if your car is stolen, is damaged in a flood, or is otherwise damaged while you are not driving it. If you have an automobile loan, your lender will probably require you to have collision and comprehensive. If you are driving an older vehicle that is paid for and is not worth much, it might not make financial sense to purchase this optional protection.