If you own a vehicle, you should have auto insurance on it. This is true for all drivers in Massachusetts, even if you have a suspended license. In all situations, if you do not have an active license, you should not drive, and can not legally drive. That does not mean you have to sell your cars, though. Instead, you need to maintain proper insurance coverage from the right agency. Unless no one uses the vehicle ever, it is important to maintain some coverage on it.
Why Should You Carry Insurance?
There are many reasons for a driver’s license suspension to occur. In some cases, such as repeated reckless driving claims or instances of driving under the influence, you may not get your license back for some time. In other cases, you may have your license suspended until you pay off traffic tickets.
In all situations, you may still want to protect the value of your car. That is if you do not have coverage, and something happens to your car, you could suffer financial loss. It doesn't matter whether you are driving to see damage to your vehicle.
How to Get Insurance
There are several things you can do to obtain auto insurance to protect your vehicle.
First, if no one is driving the vehicle, consider non-operational coverage. Choosing just comprehensive auto insurance, for example, may help. This coverage protects your vehicle from damage you cannot prevent. It usually covers fires and storm damage. However, it does not apply when someone is driving the car. Some companies will sell comprehensive insurance as a standalone.
If you already have auto insurance, but have a suspended license, work to keep that policy active. Your agent will likely allow you to keep your policy active as long as you are not driving the car. Thus, you'll be able to resume driving with coverage once you recover your license.
Another option is to consider lending the car to another driver. You may be able to create an agreement about ownership of the car at this point. If someone else drives since you cannot, it should prove beneficial for that person to buy coverage.
The key is not to leave your vehicle without car insurance. Doing so creates a high level of risk for you. Instead, work with your auto insurance agent. Find out what types of policies they can offer. In most cases, you can maintain coverage to protect the value of your car.
Remember, your agent will likely drop coverage if you drive the vehicle. Be sure to learn about the limitations of any policy. Do this before you sign up for it.