California driving lesson · Insurance, Collisions & Registration
Insurance requirements
A 3-minute lesson from the California course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
California requires financial responsibility, usually liability insurance, whenever you drive, including on your drive test. Driving uninsured and getting into any collision can cost you your license for years.
Know the rule
You must carry proof of financial responsibility (insurance) when you drive and for a drive test. After a collision, you must show it to the other drivers involved.
Parents or guardians take on financial responsibility for drivers younger than 18 and pay for damages if they are in a collision. Drivers 18 and older take on their own.
An uninsured driver is rear-ended at a red light; the other driver is completely at fault. The uninsured driver's license can still be suspended for up to four years, because fault doesn't matter.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What is the minimum insurance coverage required for a single death or injury?
$15,000
$60,000
$30,000
$50,000
Answer: $30,000
California requires a minimum of $30,000 in coverage for a single death or injury.