I was a passenger involved in a car accident. I do not have a driver’s license nor own a car so I don’t have insurance and am curious to know who pays my lost wages as well as my outrageous medical expenses?

Jerry

Livonia, MI

I’m sorry to hear about your accident Gerry. To figure out what insurance company is responsible for your medical expenses and lost wages will depend on what state you reside and the type of insurance they require motorists to carry. The main differences depends if your state is a no-fault state or not. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is generally used in a no-fault state for a situation like this.

Since you live in Michigan, which is a no-fault state, if you are injured as a passenger in a car crash typically your own car insurance would pay your benefits. But in a situation like yours where you do not have car insurance you would collect the benefits from the insurance company that covered any vehicle owned by a relative that you live with. If you did not have coverage that way either, then you would have to collect from the insurance company covering the car or driver in which you were riding.
Since you are in a state without no-fault laws you typically would be able to put your injury claims through the at-fault person’s bodily injury liability policy. If you want to find out your state’s insurance laws, you can contact your state’s insurance regulatory body.

Are you required to carry some type of car insurance in the state of Michigan if you have a driver license, even if you don’t own a vehicle? Is that what non-owner insurance is?

Rachel

Flint, MI

The Michigan Secretary of State states that the owners of passenger vehicles, vans, and light trucks must purchase Michigan no-fault insurance before registering their car. Out-of-state insurance policies can’t be used to meet Michigan insurance requirements for registering a car.

You are required by the Michigan law to keep your Michigan no-fault insurance certificate in your car or carry it with you when you operate a vehicle. If you can’t show proof of insurance to a police officer, the court may order the Secretary of State to suspend your driver license. Until proof of insurance is provided, the Secretary of State will not renew, transfer, or replace your car’s license plate. You may be required to show proof that the vehicle is insured for not less than 6 months and pay $50, plus any other fees required by Michigan law. The license plate may also be canceled if proof of insurance is not shown.

I have a Michigan drivers license and I received a traffic violation in Tennessee. Does Tennessee forward violation information with Michigan?

Henry

Grand Rapids, MI

Neither Tennessee nor Michigan are members of the Driver’s License Compact (DLC) which requires member states to report back to the licensing state of a driver convictions for traffic violations that one received out of state. But even without being part of the DLC any longer, the Tennessee Department of Safety has decided to report tickets back to Michigan if you are cited for a moving violation in TN with an out-of-state driver’s license.

The Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) site has information regarding out of state tickets that may still be added to your MI driving record.

So while both Michigan and Tennessee are not members of the DLC it seems that the TN traffic court will inform the MI SOS about your traffic ticket if you are found guilty and convicted of it. Michigan will then put the out of state traffic violation on your driving record and assess points if required by the Michigan Vehicle Code.