Mississippi drivers are held responsible for any losses they endure when causing an accident, including the cost of paying for their medical expenses. As with every state in the union, however, Mississippi drivers must have a minimum amount of liability insurance in place so they can protect themselves from the expenses and help pay for the expenses of the other people involved in the accident.
In Mississippi, the mandatory minimum auto insurance coverage that all drivers must have in place is 10/20/05. This means that Mississippi drivers are required to carry $10,000 of liability coverage per person injured in an accident that they cause.
Mississippi drivers also must carry $20,000 worth of insurance coverage per accident. In addition, Mississippi drivers must maintain $10,000 worth of coverage for property damage that occurs as the result of an accident that is the insured driver’s fault. Mississippi drivers may also add a number of different forms of coverage to their insurance policy, including collision, comprehensive, and uninsured and underinsured motorist’s bodily injury coverage.
The Bodily Injury Liability coverage, which is referred to as BI for short, is also a requirement for Mississippi drivers. This coverage pays for the costs associated with the personal injury or death of others involved in the accident. This insurance coverage must provide $10,000 of coverage per person involved in the accident and a total of $20,000 per accident. People covered by this insurance include the driver or drivers of other vehicles involved in the accident, the passengers in any vehicles involved in the accident, and any pedestrians that are injured during the accident.
In order to register their vehicles and to legally drive in Mississippi, drivers must have adequate auto insurance in place. Mississippi drivers have many ways to prove that they have proper insurance coverage. The easiest method Mississippi drivers can use to prove their insurance coverage is in place is to carry the temporary insurance card issued by the insurer.
If a driver in Mississippi does not have a temporary insurance card, he or she can select from a number of other methods of proof. These methods include showing the receipt after paying the premium or showing the insurance binder that the insurance agent issued. Another method Mississippi drivers might use to prove that they have insurance coverage is to show the current declarations page from their insurance policy. The actual policy may be used for proof as well. Another option is to show the certificate of liability insurance policy, which must be issued by an authorized agent or by the insurer in order to be valid.
Mississippi drivers that have made a new vehicle purchase within the past 60 days may also prove that insurance is in place by showing that insurance was in place for the vehicle that was replaced. When a Mississippi driver rents a vehicle, he or she must also be able to show that the rental agreement includes insurance coverage.