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Car accident law changes to know in 2026

The Accident Advisory editorial team1 July 20266 min read

State car accident law doesn't hold still. In the course of verifying all 50 states against their statutes, we found eight genuine, dated changes worth knowing about — from a total overhaul of New York's fault rule to quiet insurance-minimum increases most people won't hear about until they're in a claim. Here's every one we've confirmed, most recent first.

New York
Fault rule overhaul signed, effect on cases still settling

Governor Hochul signed Bill A10008 on May 27, 2026, moving New York auto cases from pure comparative fault to a new modified comparative rule, removing the old 90/180-day "serious injury" category, and adding a $100,000 cap for certain at-fault plaintiffs with criminal convictions related to the crash. It applies to actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026.

Legal commentary has flagged the statutory language as ambiguous. We're holding our New York page until case law clarifies exactly how courts are applying it, rather than publish a rule that might already be wrong in practice.

Page held pending case law
Louisiana
Two changes in under two years — deadline, then fault rule

Louisiana's filing deadline doubled from one year to two for accidents on or after July 1, 2024. Then, effective January 1, 2026, the state moved from pure comparative fault to a modified rule with a 51% bar (Act 15, amending Civil Code Art. 2323).

Which version applies to a given claim depends entirely on the accident date — pre-2026 accidents likely still fall under the old, no-cutoff fault rule.

Read the full Louisiana page →
Oklahoma
New statewide damages cap, not just for medical malpractice

A 2025 law (Okla. Stat. tit. 23, §61.3) created a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages applying broadly to personal injury claims — not the narrower medical-malpractice-only caps most states use.

Anything written about Oklahoma damages before 2025 likely predates this and should be treated as outdated.

Read the full Oklahoma page →
Hawaii
Minimum insurance doubled

Minimum liability coverage rose from 20/40/10 to 40/80/20, effective January 1, 2026 (HRS §431:10C-301, SB2342 CD1).

Confirmed by three independent sources agreeing on both the figures and the effective date.

Read the full Hawaii page →
New Jersey
Standard Policy liability minimums increased

Effective January 1, 2026, Standard Policy liability minimums rose to $35,000 per person / $70,000 per accident, up from the prior, lower limits.

Read the full New Jersey page →
North Carolina
Minimum insurance increased under SB 452

Minimum liability coverage rose from 30/60/25 to 50/100/50, effective in 2025.

Sources conflict slightly on the exact effective date within 2025 (July 1 vs. October 1) — we've published without over-specifying rather than guess.

Read the full North Carolina page →
Virginia
Minimum insurance increased

Minimum liability coverage rose to 50/100/25, effective January 1, 2025.

Read the full Virginia page →
Utah
Minimum insurance increased

Minimum liability coverage rose to 30/65/25, effective January 1, 2025.

Read the full Utah page →

How we track this

Every state page on The Accident Advisory carries a "last verified" date and cites the actual statute or bill, not a secondhand summary. We recheck live pages on a quarterly cycle, and immediately whenever we learn of relevant legislation — this page is where those changes get logged as we confirm them.

Common questions

How often is this page updated?
We aim for a quarterly review of all 49 live state pages, plus an immediate check whenever we become aware of relevant new legislation in a specific state.
Why is New York not included with a state page yet?
New York's fault rule changed via legislation signed in May 2026, but legal commentary has flagged the language as ambiguous. We'd rather hold the page than publish a rule that might not reflect how courts actually apply it.
Where do these updates come from?
Directly from the statute, bill text, or state legislature's own publications wherever possible — not from secondary summaries. Full citations are listed below for every change.

Sources

  1. N.Y. Bill A10008 (signed 27 May 2026) — auto fault-rule amendments.
  2. La. Civ. Code art. 2323, as amended by Act 15 (eff. 1 Jan 2026); art. 3493.1, as amended by Act 423 (eff. 1 Jul 2024).
  3. Okla. Stat. tit. 23, §61.3 (enacted 2025).
  4. Haw. Rev. Stat. §431:10C-301, as amended by SB2342 CD1 (eff. 1 Jan 2026).
  5. N.J. Dept. of Banking and Insurance — 2026 minimum liability limit update.
  6. N.C. SB 452 (2025) — minimum liability insurance increase.
  7. Va. Code §46.2-472, as amended (eff. 1 Jan 2025).
  8. Utah Code §31A-22-304, as amended (eff. 1 Jan 2025).
The Accident Advisory provides free, general information and is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Each change below is drawn from our state-by-state verification tracker, sourced directly against the statute or bill text. Last verified: 1 July 2026.