• Headlights must be on when using windshield wipers.
• Seat belts must be worn by all occupants in the vehicle.
• Children under 4 must be properly secured in a child safety seat.
• Uninsured motorists policy limits as of October 1, 2000 must equal Liability limits unless the insured signs a waiver for lower limits, however, limits cannot be lower than the required Financial Responsibility split limits of 50/100 or combined single limit of 100,000.
• Children under 16 who are on a bicycle must wear a helmet.

Canadian Card Necessary

Car insurance is compulsory when driving anywhere on public roads in Canada. If I am an American visitor to Canada, how do I prove I have car insurance? The answer is the little yellow card known as the Canada Card. In recent years, it appears a rumor got started that the yellow card was no longer necessary and the Maine ID card would meet the requirement. Not so, says those who have done the research on this matter.

An insurance agent’s client was stopped at the Canadian border for a routine border check. But the client didn’t have the yellow card – known as a Canada Card – required by Canadian law to prove a driver is insured and therefore allowed to drive in Canada. The client and his family were detained at the border until they could reach their insurance agent, who eventually faxed the Canada Card that proved he had insurance.

Many agents are unsure whether the Canada Card is still required. Some companies have said that the Canada Card is needed, while others say they are not. It turns out they’re still required. Canada Cards must still be issued to insureds before they cross the border because of that country’s compulsory insurance law.

For years, insureds driving in Canada have had to arrange to obtain the little yellow card from their insurance company first. The process is still the same. Usually the insured talks with their agent or insurance company direct writer and asks for the card. Then the agent or direct writer types up the card that identifies a person’s name, vehicle, and insurance company. Without the card, Canadian authorities can impound the vehicle because until you can prove you have insurance (by producing the yellow card), you’re not going anywhere.

The Canadian government requires a specific form just as Maine’s government requires a specific ID form be used. They want people driving in their country to prove their insurance, not just having a traditional insurance card but having the required yellow card.

The Canadian government considers the yellow card the only sufficient proof to meet their compulsory insurance law. It is also known as the “Non-Resident Inter-Province Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card”. This card indicates that your insurance company has agreed with Canadian authorities to provide coverage of not less than the minimum legal requirement in any jurisdiction in Canada in which you travel.

The Canadian Superintendent of Insurance by virtue of The Insurance Act has prescribed a standard form for use by all insurers for providing evidence of automobile insurance. The only accepted Canada Card is the one they designed.

For more information see the Insurance Information Centre of Canada website.