The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet requires that all drivers in Kentucky carry liability automotive insurance, or “financial responsibility” in order to operate a vehicle legally and maintain vehicle registration.
The minimum financial responsibility requirements for drivers under Kentucky law are as follows:
A minimum of $25,000 per person, for bodily injury or death. This means you’ll need to carry a minimum of $50,000 to cover the lowest possible number of people involved in an accident (the two drivers).
A minimum $10,000 for property damage liability
This means that the total minimum amount of financial responsibility you will need is $60,000 to cover bodily injury and property damage.
Other required insurance
In addition to the liability insurance types listed above, Kentucky law requires that every insurance policy includes a Personal Injury Protection coverage, which pays up to $10,000 per injured party, regardless of who was at fault in the accident.
This type of insurance guarantees that your own bodily injury costs will be covered by your insurance. This is important because Kentucky is a no-fault state, meaning that the other party’s insurance isn’t required to pay for your bodily injury even if they were at fault.
Recovering damages
In the state of Kentucky, drivers have the option to sue parties at fault in an accident to recover the costs of damages they accrued due to the accident. By carrying an insurance policy that includes Personal Injury Protection, your right to sue, and the amount you can be sued for, is limited to only damages to property. Medical bills, loss of wages, or pain and suffering cannot be recovered in court unless they exceed certain requirements:
More than $1,000 in medical costs
Broken bones
Permanent injury or disfigurement
Death
If any of these circumstances occurred due to the other party’s fault, a driver in Kentucky can sue to recover the costs. You can choose to reject the Personal Injury Protection requirement, which will release the limitations on your right to sue. This must be submitted in writing to the Department of Insurance.
Proof of insurance
You must be able to provide proof of insurance when you register a vehicle, and when asked by a police officer at a traffic stop or the scene of an accident. An insurance card from an authorized insurance provider is an acceptable proof of insurance.
Kentucky state law does not require that those who have been convicted of DUIs or other reckless driving charges file an SR-22 Proof of Financial Responsibility document.
Violation penalties
If a driver in Kentucky fails to carry the minimum required insurance on a vehicle, there are several penalties that may be issued:
A minimum fine of $1,000 and a possible sentence of up to 90 days in jail for the first offense
Vehicle registration suspension
For more information, contact the Kentucky Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing through their website.
