In South Dakota you need to show proof of financial responsibility when registering your vehicle. Your proof of financial responsibility may be your car insurance policy, securities or certificate of deposit of at least $50,000 with the State Treasurer or surety company bond. However if you have at least 26 vehicles registered under your name, you can use a certificate of self insurance as proof.

If you choose to use your car insurance policy as proof of financial responsibility, you have to meet the South Dakota minimum car insurance requirements. The minimum amount of coverage is $25,000 bodily injury liability for one injured person in an accident, $50,000 bodily injury liability total for all injured in an accident and $25,000 property damage liability. In other words, it is 25/50/25. South Dakota also requires you to have the uninsured and underinsured coverage in the same amount as the required bodily injury insurance coverage.

You are required to carry your proof of financial responsibility whenever you are driving in South Dakota. You must be able to show your proof when requested by law enforcement officers. If you opted to have car insurance for South Dakota, the insurance company will issue you an insurance policy card. This card has the name of the company, the coverage dates, your policy number and the expiration date of your policy. You can use this as written proof of financial responsibility.

If you ave failed to maintain proof of financial responsibility, you may have to pay the fine of $100 and/or spend 30 days in jail. Your license will also be suspended for 30 days and you will have to have the SR-22 as proof of financial responsibility for three years. This will be your proof that you are covered by car insurance. And even if you do not have a vehicle, you will still have to have the non-owner insurance policy before you can drive in South Dakota.