Driving Without Insurance in Maine

Driving or owning a vehicle without the required insurance is a traffic infraction with a fine (forfeiture) of $100 to $500. Thirty days after the Secretary of State receives the adjudication, the person's driver's license, vehicle registration, or right to apply for them is suspended until proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22-type filing) is provided. A charge can be dismissed if the person shows the court that insurance was in effect at the time of the alleged violation.

Proof of insurance must be shown to register a vehicle, and may be provided electronically, including as an image on a phone or other portable electronic device. When stopped for a moving violation or involved in a reportable accident, the driver must produce evidence of insurance on an officer's request; electronic evidence is accepted, and showing it on a device does not give the officer consent to access other contents of the device. Failing to produce evidence is prima facie evidence that the person is uninsured.

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles may require an SR-22 filing, a certification from an insurer that the driver is covered, usually after an accident without insurance or a conviction for a serious violation; Maine accepts an SR-22 only from an insurer licensed in Maine. After a conviction or adjudication and reinstatement, the person must maintain proof of financial responsibility for at least 3 years, and the Secretary of State may waive the requirement after 3 years from the date of demand. A repeat OUI conviction within 10 years also requires proof before reinstatement.