I'm paying three times what I was paying for a liability-only policy that doesn't cover anything – as regards my old, paid-for truck. The coverage applies, hypothetically, to damage I might cause someone else's vehicle rather than any damage to my own.

Note the might.

I italicize the word to initiate a few additional words about this very strange business we've all gotten used to of being forced to pay for damage we might cause. It is an interesting concept. Almost anything one does – other than lie quietly in bed – might end up causing damage.

If this "might cause damage" business is the accepted basis for government forcing people to buy coverage, then there are almost limitless possibilities for additional such requirements. It could be logically argued – using the logic government uses – to require every man capable of throwing a punch to buy Fist Insurance, since he might (and could) punch someone in the mouth.

Who is going to pay for those lost teeth?

Its not silly. It's serious. Because it follows. The government says people who own cars must buy at least liability coverage because they might run into someone else and that could cause damage. Well, how is it logically not the same thing to argue that a man might punch someone else in the face? How is it that any man capable of throwing a punch is allowed to walk in public without having purchased coverage to pay for the damage he might cause with his fists?

The only sane answer is that government hasn't gotten around to that yet.

Government-mandated liability insurance doesn't just force us to pay for the damage we have not caused but might. It also forces us to pay for the costs government imposes on new vehicles that we do not buy – and also the choices made by other people as regards the vehicles they choose to buy. This circles us back to the theme of this article, which is how government forcing us to buy liability insurance will soon force many of us out of our vehicles.

Why has the cost of liability-only coverage gone up by so much over the past 2-3 years? The main reason is the cost of repairing (or replacing) the cars made during the past2-3 years. Every new vehicle costs thousands more to buy than it did 2-3 years ago and some models tens of thousands more. One example of the latter is the 2025 Dodge Charger EV, which replaced the Charger with an engine. The latter stickered for about $33k just two years ago (2023). The 2025 Charger EV stickers for $57,995.