Washington
UPDATED: Jul 15, 2021
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State Coverage Requirements
Coverage Type
State Coverage Requirements
Bodily Injury Liability
$25,000 limit per person / $50,000 limit per accident
Property Damage Liability
$10,000 limit
Collision
Not required, but recommended
Comprehensive
Not required, but recommended
Medical Expenses
Not required, but recommended
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Not required
Uninsured Motorist
Not required, but recommended
Underinsured Motorist
Not required, but recommended
Property Protection (PPI)
Not required
Average rates vs National Average
Cellphone/Texting
Washington
Explained
Hand-Held Cell Phone Ban:
Yes
In the state of Washington, an officer can give a driver a citation for holding a cell phone even if no other driving offenses are taking place.
All Cell Phone Use Ban for Novice Drivers:
Yes
Drivers with a Learner or Intermediate License cannot use a cell phone at all while driving.
Texting Ban:
Yes
In Washington, text messaging is banned for all drivers.
DUI Laws
Washington
Explained
The legal limit for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC):
0.08
The legal limit for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) while driving is 0.08. It is a crime to drive with a BAC at this number or above it.
Increased penalty for high BAC:
0.15
There's an increased penalty for drivers with a BAC of 0.15 or above.
1st offense Suspension:
90 days
Administrative license suspension on the 1st offense: In Washington, law enforcers can confiscate a first-time offender's driver's license for 90 days if he or she exceeds the legal limit. Limited driving privileges, such as to and from work, are permitted with ignition interlock driver's license.
Ignition Interlocks:
Mandatory for all offenders
These are devices installed in the cars of convicted drunk drivers, which analyze the breath or the driver before starting the vehicle and disable the ignition if alcohol is detected. Washington made the installation of ignition interlocks mandatory for all offenders.
Repeat Offenders:
None
None in Washington.
Open Container Law:
Yes
No driver or passenger can have any bottle, can, jar or other receptacle containing any alcohol that has been opened, the seal broken, or with partial contents removed in his or her possession or in any area of the vehicle where it would be easily accessible by the driver or passengers, including a glove compartment.
Graduated Drivers License
Washington
Explained
Learner Stage:
(Supervised driving, to be completed with a driving test): At 15 years and of age if taking driver's education and 15 years and six month if not taking driver's education, individuals can begin driving with supervision for a period lasting a minimum of six months. In this stage, the new drivers are required to get 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of which need to be at night.
Intermediate Stage:
Min. Age: 16
Night Driving Restriction: 1am-5am
Passenger Restriction: No passengers under 20 (first 6 months), no more than 3 passengers under 20 (for the rest of the period)
(Some limits are applied to unsupervised drivers in high-risk situations): Drivers who passed the driver's test at 16 are now unsupervised drivers in the intermediate stage. These drivers are not allowed to drive between the hours of 1am and 5am and cannot drive with more than one passenger under 20 for the first six months and no more than three passengers under 20 for the rest of the intermediate stage.
Full Privilege Age:
Age: 18
(Full driver's license): At the age of 18, Washington drivers can now get a standard driver's license without any restrictions.
Speed Limit
Rural Interstates:
SPEED LIMIT
70
MPH
SPEED LIMIT
60
MPH
Urban Interstates:
SPEED LIMIT
60
MPH
SPEED LIMIT
60
MPH
Other Limited Access Roads:
SPEED LIMIT
60
MPH
SPEED LIMIT
60 MPH
Page Source: ghsa.org
Washington
Department of Insurance
Website: disb.dc.gov/
Address: P.O. Box 40255, Olympia, Washington 98504-0255
Phone: 202-727-8000 or 800-562-6900 (In State) or 360-753-7301
Washington
DMV Information
Website: www.dol.wa.gov/
Phone: 360-902-3900
Call Center Hours:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday