Illinois Auto Insurance

When checking out helpful information on auto insurance, I always look for important statistics, especially those that are specific to a state. Illinois auto insurance has been noted as a little heavy on the wallet, perhaps due to the fact that Chicago, as one of the major cities in the state, has a high volume of cars on their streets and highways. However, I learned that Illinois auto insurance is not that costly as compared to other states. I also found out from the Insurance Information Institute website that Illinois has about 7 million insured private cars, which makes it only about fifth among all other states.

Illinois auto insurance also puts into consideration unwanted circumstances, aside from a relatively high volume of vehicles on their streets. Auto theft is a very big concern when car insurance is being discussed, as there really are certain places in the country where stolen cars are common. Going back to Illinois, although I’ve read that Illinois auto insurance companies generally don’t charge as high, auto theft is a pretty big deal. From where I see it, being included as the top eighth state in the most number of stolen cars, Illinois follows closely behind Washington and Georgia. In 2006, data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau summarizes that over 37,000 cars were stolen in Illinois.

How much does the average Illinois motorist have to pay for his car insurance annually? More from the Insurance Information Institute site claims that he spends an average about $740 for auto insurance per year. That translates to about $400, $300, and $100 for liability coverage, collision coverage, and comprehensive coverage, respectively for Illinois auto insurance. This ranks the state as 28th in the average annual expenditures for car insurance.

I took the liberty of checking out the website of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for additional info on Illinois auto insurance. It was a little creepy to know that for car owners, the state has a randomized system that may have you selected for a “surprise” verification or inspection of your car insurance. This means, that getting your vehicle insured is mandatory, and if caught driving without one, you can be heavily fined, or possible face more serious charges. According to the DMV, the minimum fine for driving an uninsured vehicle may be around $500, plus you may also have to pay $100 if you want to reinstate your car’s registration.