Calif. Expands Low Cost Auto Insurance To Entire State

California's insurance regulator announced that 16 remaining counties will have access to the state's low cost auto insurance program.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said the counties of Alpine, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Inyo, Lassen, Mariposa, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity Counties will be added to the list for the Low Cost Automobile Insurance program.

Under the program eligible low-income good drivers are able to purchase auto liability coverage for under $400 a year. The policies are issued by state-licensed insurers and are administered by the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan.

To qualify, a driver must have no more than one at-fault property damage accident or one point for a moving violation in the past three years, the department said. The driver must also have no at-fault accident involving bodily injury or death in the past three years, and no felony or misdemeanor conviction for a violation of the vehicle code.

An applicant's family income cannot exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level ($25,525 for a single person, $34,225 for two, and $51,625 for a family of four). The vehicle cannot exceed $20,000 in value.

The expanded program is expected to go into effect by the end of December, the department said.