RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT)—Starting this summer, if you’re driving on the roads in Virginia uninsured, you will be required to get coverage.

Virginians will be required to have car insurance under a bill signed into law during last year’s General Assembly session.

Before, Virginians could register as uninsured drivers by paying an annual $500 fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, starting on July 1, this option will not be available.

“When it comes to a lot of the stuff that we hear, most of the time it’s oh so expensive, we can’t afford it,” said Tom Brown, founder and CEO of the Mega Insurance Center, about the top reasons people chose not to get auto insurance.

Once this change starts, the DMV estimates that roughly 6,000 drivers will need to show proof of insurance. If not, their licenses could be suspended.

“It takes a lot of movement to move the needle on the overall premium costs to drivers in Virginia, but overall, I think it’s the right move to make, and maybe down the line, it will influence rates in a better direction if we have people being a little bit more responsible about maintaining insurance coverage,” said Brown.

This change also comes as auto insurance rates soar.

“A vehicle that used to cost you $20,000 to fix or replace is now double that, so when insurance carriers are faced with fixing vehicles that are now twice as expensive as they were several years before, they then start running large losses,” said Brown. “There’s been a lot of unprofitability to the insurance business in general over the last several years.”

As time ticks by to get your insurance coverage, Brown has this advice to keep the price down.

“Watching your driving record and driving safely is one key factor to maintaining low insurance rates and also purchasing vehicles that are not high-profile, super expensive vehicles,” he said. “Those are two ways you can maintain lower rates.”

To learn more about the insurance requirements, visit the DMV’s website.

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