State Rep. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) is sponsoring legislation to increase mandatory liability insurance coverage for Illinois drivers.
“This is an important measure aimed at protecting our roads and drivers,” Fine said in a news release. “Over the past twenty years, the prices of goods and services have increased but minimum coverage for auto liability insurance has not. An increase in the minimum coverage will help better cover costs for drivers involved in traffic accidents.”
Under current law, Illinois’ mandatory minimum auto liability insurance coverage requirement is among the lowest in the country. The bill would raise coverage for bodily injury or death of one person from $20,000 to $25,000 and for two or more persons from $40,000 to $50,000. The proposal also increases minimum coverage for property damage from $20,000 to $25,000.
In 1989, the General Assembly began requiring all motorists to have auto insurance. The law was designed to ensure that all drivers had minimum coverage so that the person at fault could help cover medical costs and property damage caused by the accident.
“We must continue to make sure all motorists have mandatory insurance and that it is in line with escalating costs,” said Fine, whose district includes northwest Evanston. “When my husband was involved in a serious automobile accident, the minimum amount of liability insurance the other driver had could barely cover a portion of the medical care that he vitally needed.”