Michigan College Students: Michigan No-Fault Insurance Must Cover Your Vehicle Even if You Live Out of State

The school year is starting up again and Michigan’s many great universities and colleges will be attracting thousands of students from other states. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them won’t be adequately insured if they’re involved in a car accident and could be stuck for tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses even if the accident isn’t they’re fault.

If you’re a student from another state attending a college or university in Michigan it is essential that you have Michigan no-fault insurance coverage on your vehicle. Michigan law requires out-of-state residents, which includes students from other states attending Michigan schools, to register their car in the State of Michigan and have Michigan no-fault insurance coverage if the car is in Michigan more than 30 cumulative days. And because the rule is 30 cumulative days rather than 30 continuous days, you can’t skirt the rule by going back home once a month.

The Detroit car-accident lawyers at Sachs Waldman, P.C. have seen too many students from other states end up with massive medical bills that no insurance company will pay for and no way to recover those damages or seek compensation for their pain and suffering just because they didn’t know about Michigan’s 30-day rule. Don’t take the chance; get Michigan no-fault insurance coverage for the car you drive in Michigan.

Consequences for a lack of Michigan no-fault insurance for out-of-state residents/students

Anyone involved in a car accident in Michigan who doesn’t have no-fault insurance but is required to have it is ineligible for no-fault insurance benefits of any kind. Michigan residents who are properly insured or visitors who haven’t had their car in the state more than 30 days are entitled to benefits from Michigan no-fault insurance to pay for their medical expenses, income lost to injuries and certain other expenses regardless of whether they are at fault or not. But drivers not insured according to Michigan law cannot receive those benefits. Such drivers are also prohibited from suing an at-fault driver for pain and suffering damages or excess economic damages.

Additionally, drivers who are not properly insured in Michigan can be held liable for the injuries incurred by other drivers -- even if one of those drivers caused the accident. That can lead to owing hundreds of thousands of dollars even though the out-of-state driver was not a fault in any way. In Michigan, personal injury attorneys representing injured drivers first look to see whether any drivers involved did not have proper insurance. Because of the way Michigan law works, these drivers are the most susceptible to a personal injury lawsuit.

To out-of-state drivers, the cost of Michigan no-fault insurance may seem prohibitively expensive. But the cost of not having the right insurance and being involved in an accident are exceedingly higher.

What to do if involved in an accident with a driver without Michigan no-fault insurance

If you were injured in an accident in Michigan and one of the drivers involved did not have proper Michigan no-fault insurance coverage, the attorneys at Sachs Waldman, P.C., can help you recover damages your insurance company is not required to cover. Car accident lawyers at Sachs Waldman, P.C. can also assist out-of-state residents/students recover damages for injuries if they have Michigan no-fault insurance.  Call our Detroit personal injury attorneys at 1-800-638-6722 to schedule a free consultation.