Drivers in The Cheese State face new challenges in the months following the recent auto insurance regulation changes that took place last September. Wisconsin legislation recently passed a bill (Act 28) that effectively doubled all minimum coverage requirements for drivers in the state, putting the minimum requirements at:

• $50,000 for bodily injury or death to one person
• $100,000 for bodily injury or death to two or more persons
• $15,000 for property damage

This is an increase over earlier in the year when coverage costs were at $25,000, $50,000 and $10,000 respectively.

Why is this big news now? Most of these changes are scheduled to take place as of Nov. 1, which means that if drivers have not yet changed insurance coverage to match the new needs then immediate coverage plans need to be found or drivers run the risk of receiving heavy fines or even license suspension.

A positive note for drivers, however, is that insurance companies are officially restricted from classifying drivers in a "high risk" category and shooting up premium costs if a driver has not had insurance previously. This means that drivers who are first seeking insurance are protected by state law and can receive the same benefits as others that have a previous insurance record (so long as their other driving records are also clear).

For any driver who is seeking to get new coverage or simply expand their existing coverage now is the time to do so. Even if you already have previously established insurance coverage that does meet them these new minimum requirements you can still potentially benefit from switching to another company for a better deal that can payoff greatly in the long run with potentially cheaper rates and lower deductibles . At this time with many people searching for new insurance plans many companies have become quite competitive, and therefore it is a buyers market. Feel free to use this to your advantage in the near future so that you can lock in an affordable rate for comprehensive coverage that can help protect you and those around you, as these rates may not last long.  A good place to start with this is an online search engine for insurance such as Ezquoteguide.com that can help provide you with helpful information about providers in your local area.