Car insurance is mandatory in the state of Washington. You can face several penalties and fines if your policy doesn't meet the auto insurance requirements in Washington. Like other states in the country, the state of Washington requires that all cars in circulation have liability coverage through auto insurance. This means that the person who was at fault for causing the car accident is also responsible for any resulting damage (from a practical point of view, the at-fault driver's insurance company will absorb these losses, up to the limits of the policy).
After a car accident in a no-fault state, you must use the personal injury protection coverage of your own auto insurance policy to pay for medical bills and other losses out of pocket, regardless of who caused the accident. However, Washington State has a Washington car insurance plan, which provides high-risk drivers with an insurance company to use. In Washington, as in every state, car insurance is sure to play an important role in any claim filed after a traffic accident. Washington, like most states, requires vehicle owners and drivers to maintain certain types and amounts of insurance coverage, or to otherwise demonstrate financial responsibility for a potential car accident.
Read on to learn the details of Washington's auto insurance rules, how coverage is likely to affect a car accident case, and the types of penalties you can expect if you drive uninsured in the state of Washington.