NC moped owners now must have liability insurance

If you own a moped, you have to have liability insurance for it as of Friday.

It’s required as part of a new law passed last year. Registration of mopeds has been mandatory under state law since July 1, 2015, but new requirements, including liability insurance, kick in this July 1.

Nearly 28,000 mailings went out recently, the second of two notices sent to registered moped owners, informing them of the new insurance requirement.

Marge Howell, a representative with the state Department of Transportation, said that as of June 21, only 5,734 of owners had shown proof of insurance – or roughly 20 percent of the total number of people with registered mopeds in the state.

According to state law, minimum liability coverage limits are $30,000 for bodily injury liability per person per accident, $60,000 total per accident and $25,000 in property damage liability per accident.

As of the July 1, moped owners need to provide a state license plate agency with proof of liability insurance. An FS-1 form from an insurer or the name of an insurer and policy number will be sufficient to prove coverage.

Upon proof of insurance, the agency will provide you with an updated registration card on the spot.

For owners who already have insurance, your insurance company has most likely transferred your information to the Department of Motor Vehicles. If you have recently acquired insurance, you may want to go into a plate agency in person and provide proof of insurance. Most insurers transfer information within a few days of adding a new policy, but legally they have up to 20 days to transfer information to the DMV.

For owners who fail to meet the insurance requirement, their license plates may be revoked.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "NC moped owners now must have liability insurance."