South Dakota Auto Insurance
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South Dakota Auto Insurance Requirements
North Dakota is a “No-Fault” state but South Dakota isn’t. This single difference means the two states have different auto insurance requirements, different claims processes, and different lawsuit processes. It is important to understand that South Dakota Auto Insurance is different.
Here’s a closer look at what South Dakota requires for auto insurance.
South Dakota Minimum Liability
If you’re determined liable for an accident, in other words the accident was your fault, liability coverage protects against claims made by other parties involved in that accident. There are two liability coverages that any car licensed or operating in South Dakota must carry and they are Bodily Injury (BI) Liability and Property Damage (PD) Liability.
State minimum coverage requirements are 25/50/25.
The first two numbers apply to BI and the last applies to PD. So in the case of BI, your insurance will pay up to $25,000 towards a single person’s bodily injury expenses and up to $50,000 for the combined bodily injury expenses when two or more people are involved. It will also pay up to $25,000 to repair or replace any damage to the victim’s vehicle or buildings, signs and other property damaged in your at-fault accident.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist:
South Dakota is also one of the few states that require Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage. UM covers bodily injury expenses for you, family members and other passengers when an accident is caused by a hit-and-run driver or a driver that doesn’t have auto insurance. UIM offers similar coverage when the at-fault driver is underinsured; in other words he or she doesn’t have enough insurance coverage to pay all your bills.
These are the only types of auto insurance that South Dakota requires. Anything else that you add to your policy is strictly optional.
Comprehensive and Collision is something to consider since liability insurance pays nothing towards the damage done to your car when you’re at fault. But collision coverage will, once you satisfy the deductible. Comprehensive pays for vehicle repairs that are needed due to weather, theft and other circumstances beyond your control.
South Dakota Division of Insurance
For answers to mandatory auto insurance and other auto insurance questions, contact the South Dakota Division of Insurance by phone at 605-773-3563 or via the website at http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/reg/insurance/index.html.