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Killing with a car costs $1.6M, California requires drivers to carry $30K

42 pointsby mslateyesterday at 10:22 PM37 commentsview on HN

Comments

philip1209today at 12:53 AM

Making cars a requirement for participating in society, across all socioeconomic levels, was a mistake. Now, lacking a car can put people into economic crisis.

We can correct this by investing in public transportation and getting rid of government-provided free parking.

hnburnsyyesterday at 11:38 PM

There is a program in California that offers even lower limits...

The California Low Cost Auto Insurance (CLCA) program provides liability coverage limits of up to $10,000 for bodily injury or death per person, $20,000 per accident, and $3,000 for property damage. This program is designed to help income-eligible residents afford basic auto insurance.

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kube-systemyesterday at 11:11 PM

You basically need to insure yourself when using US roads. Forget the ridiculous minimum coverage requirements, a huge percentage of Americans drive around with no insurance whatsoever -- 20% or more in some states.

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graemepyesterday at 11:20 PM

That is tiny. I just checked Uk legislation and it seems to require £1.2m cover for damage to property and unlimited cover for personal injury and deaths.

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bix6yesterday at 11:50 PM

I cannot stand AI writing ffs.

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jeffbeeyesterday at 11:54 PM

> In-car dongles that track jerky driving, crash event recorders, and driver monitoring systems now let an insurer observe behavior directly and price it.

Uh, but not in California, because of 1988's Prop. 103. Telematics for insurance pricing are completely unavailable in California.

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toomuchtodoyesterday at 11:01 PM

Related:

Paying for Driving - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49665196 - September 2026

Barrin92yesterday at 11:55 PM

is that accurate? Here in Germany minimal Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung is I believe 7 million in personal injuries and 1 million in property damages. So if a broke guy in the US runs you over and causes you half a million in health damages, puts you out of work and totals your car you'll get 30k from their insurance? How can you legally let people on the road like this

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remusrmyesterday at 11:12 PM

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