Bill > S470

Introduced Session

This bill increases certain minimum motor vehicle liability insurance requirements. Specifically, the bill increases the amount of liability insurance coverage that every owner of a motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this State must maintain: (1) from $15,000 to $100,000, exclusive of interest and costs, on account of injury to, or death of, one person, in any one accident; (2) from $30,000 to $200,000, exclusive of interest and costs, on account of injury to, or death of, more than one person, in any one accident; and (3) from $5,000 to $35,000, exclusive of interest and costs, for damage to property in any one accident. The bill provides these same limits with regard to automobile insurance under section 3 of P.L.1972, c.70 (C.39:6A-3) and motor vehicle liability insurance under section 1 of P.L.1972, c.197 (C. 39:6B-1) and section 2 of P.L.1968, c.385 (C.17:28-1.1). An automobile means a private passenger automobile. A motor vehicle includes all vehicles propelled otherwise than by muscular power, excepting such vehicles as run only upon rails or tracks and motorized bicycles. Thus, under the bill, all motor vehicles and private passenger automobile policies in the State, except those insured under the basic or special policy, would be required to have bodily injury liability coverage of at least $100,000 per person and $200,000 per accident, and $35,000 of liability coverage for property damage. The bill also amends the law concerning medical expense benefits options as part of the personal injury protection, or "PIP," coverage, per person, per accident, under standard automobile policies. Under the bill, the minimum amount of medical expense benefits an insured may choose as an alternative to the standard amount of medical expense benefits is increased from the current $15,000 to $25,000. The current mandatory minimum of $250,000 for all medically necessary treatment of certain permanent or significant injuries remains intact.

Committee Categories

Nick Scutari (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee (on 01/11/2022)

Official Document