The State of Illinois requires that all vehicles on public roads and highways of Illinois that have a license plate must be insured. This includes all motor vehicles, including RVs, buses, motorcycles, vans and cars. Excluded are trailers. The state requires a minimum insurance coverage of liability insurance for $20,000 for injury or death of one person per accident, $40,000 for injury or death of two or more people per single accident and $15,000 for property damage. The state requirement is only a minimum coverage and does not include coverage for your own property or for your own injuries. This is the reason why an insurance provider will advise their customers to purchase additional coverage.

Once you get car insurance for Illinois, your car insurance company will send you an insurance card. You must keep the insurance card in the car since you need to be able to show it to an enforcement officer upon request. Usually you will be asked to show this if you are involved in an accident or if you violated any traffic rules.

Unlike in some other states where it is required to show proof of insurance before you can register your vehicle, in Illinois you simply have to attest that the vehicle will eventually have car insurance. However, Illinois does a random check through computerized questionnaire. If your car is chosen for verification, you must provide proof of insurance. If you failed to do so, your license will be suspended.

In Illinois, as well as in most states, driving while uninsured is against the law. If you are stopped by a police officer and requested to show your insurance card and you do not have valid insurance, you will be given a citation. Then you have to prove in court that you are insured and if you are uninsured, you will have to pay the $500 fine and the $100 mandatory fee for reinstatement.

Read More about Illinois Car Insurance