Driving without Illinois auto insurance is not smart. By doing so, you risk being held liable for any damages you cause while you are behind the wheel of an uninsured vehicle. Can you afford to pay for someone else's hospital stay and rehabilitation all by yourself? Can you afford to buy the other party a new car?  If you can't, then you obviously need insurance. If you cause an accident, you could end up paying those debts off for the rest of your life. If you can, then obviously you can also afford an Illinois auto insurance policy, which will help protect your assets.

If the staggering potential cost of driving without insurance is not enough to motivate you to take out a policy,  here's another good reason: it's the law! If you are caught driving without Illinois auto insurance, the following penalties apply:

• If you get caught by the state's random insurance verification program, your license plates will be suspended.

• If you get caught driving without Illinois auto insurance by a police officer, your tags will be suspended and you will be fined $500. If your tags were already suspended for driving without Illinois auto insurance and you were caught driving uninsured, the fine increases to $1000.