The state of Illinois requires all drivers to establish a way of financial responsibility, in general this way is to own an authorized Auto insurance liability policy. Illinois will not consider acceptable the use of cash deposits or bonds that will ensure the driver possesses a way to comply with its financial responsibility. It requires drivers to have liability insurance.

The minimums required by this state in order to comply with your financial obligation are:

• Per one person, for bodily injury or death in an accident coverage of no less than $20,000
• Per more than one person, for bodily injury or death in a single car accident, coverage will be no less than $40,000
• Per property damage, the coverage must be at least of $15,000

It is required for you to carry at all times the insurance identification card that your carrier or insurance company must have provided at the moment you acquired your auto insurance policy. If pulled over by an officer, this proof might be required. Also the secretary of state's office can do random checks by sending letters to registered drivers and asking to verify you have the correct insurance status, you have 30 days to comply with this requirement.

If you are unable to demonstrate any proof of owning insurance your license plates will be suspended, this means you'll be able to drive other vehicles, except that one that isn't properly insured. To recuperate your license plates you must acquire the adequate car insurance and cancel a fee of $100.

To process the reinstatement you can go to the following Secretary of State facilities, located at: Bloomington, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago Central, Chicago North, Chicago South, Chicago West, Decatur, Granite City, Joliet, Libertyville, Lombard, Moline/Silvis, Naperville, Quincy, Peoria, Rockford, Springfield, Tilton, Waukegan and Woodstock.

Additional coverage is usually added to the auto liability policy, most common extra coverage to add are, Comprehensive, Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist and Collision.

Have always in mind that, auto liability insurance will only pay for damages and injuries you may cause to other parties, it will not pay for your own expenses, this is why each additional coverage can help you in the event of an accident.

Comprehensive coverage is there to pay for any physical damage caused to your vehicle by something else but an automobile accident. For example if ran over wildlife or you are victim of vandalism, comprehensive coverage will pay for the reparations needed. It also helps for severe weather events, such as floods, wild fires, tornados, etc.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist helps when you are not responsible for the accident and the responsible party lacks of enough coverage or is not insured. This coverage is also used in hit and run situations.

Collision coverage can be used to pay for any reparations your vehicle may need after an accident. This is not only for car to car collisions, but also for situations like backing up into a light pole, wall, fence, or any other object.