Michigan vs Washington

optional. Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) bodily injury are both optional in Michigan — the DIFS consumer guide lists them under optional coverages and its glossary describes both as optional coverages available for purchase. Both are fully optional in Michigan.

Offer-and-reject. RCW 48.22.030 requires every liability policy to include UIM coverage — which Washington defines broadly to bundle uninsured + underinsured + hit-and-run + phantom-vehicle — defaulting to the same limits as the liability coverage, but the named insured or spouse may reject it in writing. PIP is likewise optional: offered on every policy, waivable in writing (RCW 48.22.085).

From the date proof was required (MCL 257.528(1)(a)) — NOT the reinstatement date and NOT the conviction date. nuance: if the person surrenders the license/registration and reapplies within the 3-year window, they must reestablish proof for the remainder of the 3 years (257.528(3)) — Michigan tolls the clock rather than restarting it.

From the date proof was required (RCW 46.29.600(1)(a)) — not the reinstatement date and not the conviction date. tolls, doesn't restart: if the person surrenders the license and reapplies within the window, proof is reestablished for the remainder of the 3 years (46.29.600(3)).

Traffic infraction (not a crime) — monetary penalty set by the Washington Supreme Court penalty schedule under RCW 46.63.110; the statute (RCW 46.30.020(1)(d)) sets no fixed dollar amount and no first/subsequent escalation. The commonly assessed penalty is approximately $550 (court rule, not statute). Showing you were actually insured at the time gets the citation dismissed for a $25 administrative cost (46.30.020(2)).

Same as first — RCW 46.30.020 sets no first/subsequent distinction; driving uninsured is a single-tier traffic infraction with the penalty set by the Supreme Court schedule (46.63.110). No escalation by prior count.

suspension (1st offense, MCL 257.319(8)): OWI 0.08 (625(1)(a)/(b)) = 180-day suspension, no restricted license during the first 30 days; High-BAC 0.17 (625(1)(c)) = 1-year suspension, no restricted during the first 45 days, then restricted with ignition interlock (BAIID); OWVI (625(3)) = 90 days (180 if drug-related), restricted throughout; under-21 zero tolerance (625(6)) = 30 days (90 with a prior). A restricted license under 319(8) may NOT authorize CMV operation (319(15)). revocation (repeat/serious, MCL 257.303): 2 OWI within 7 years, or 3 within 10 years, or a single OWI causing serious injury/death -> revocation; minimum 1 year, or 5 years if a second revocation within 7 years (303(4)); indefinite, no automatic reinstatement. Restoration requires a DAAD hearing rebutting the habitual-offender presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

two parallel tracks with day-for-day credit (46.61.5055(9)(b)). administrative (implied consent, RCW 46.20.308 -> periods in 46.20.3101): triggered by a breath/blood test at or above 0.08 (0.02 under-21) or a refusal; headline periods — test failure suspends at least 90 days, refusal revokes at least 1 year; 30-day temporary license from arrest, 7-day window to request a hearing ($375 fee). conviction-based (46.61.5055(9)): below 0.15 -> 90-day suspension (no prior) / 2-year revocation (1 prior) / 3-year (2+); 0.15 or above -> 1-year / 900-day / 4-year; refusal -> 2-year / 3-year / 4-year. Mandatory IID on all vehicles (46.61.5055(5), 46.20.720) for 1/5/10 years by prior IID restrictions. Revocation grounds also in 46.20.285 (DUI 1-year baseline; vehicular homicide 2 years).

MCL 257.625 (OWI). 1st (subsec 9): misdemeanor, fine $100-$500 (or $200-$700 if High-BAC), up to 93 days jail (180 if High-BAC 0.17), up to 360 hrs community service. 2nd within 7 years: $200-$1,000 + 5 days-1 yr jail or 30-90 days CS (non-suspendable). 3rd (2+ priors, lifetime lookback - 'Heidi's Law'): felony, $500-$5,000 + 1-5 yrs prison. OWVI (subsec 11): 1st up to $300 / up to 93 days, escalating. Under-21 zero tolerance (subsec 12): 1st up to $250 / 360 hrs CS. OWI causing death (subsec 4): felony up to 15 yrs (up to 20 if High-BAC+prior or emergency-responder death), $2,500-$10,000. Serious impairment (subsec 5): felony up to 5 yrs (up to 10 enhanced), $1,000-$5,000. Child under 16 aboard (subsec 7): enhanced - 1st misdemeanor $200-$1,000; 2nd+ felony. Thresholds: 0.08 standard, 0.17 High-BAC, 0.02 under-21. IID available (625k/625l); vehicle immobilization (904d)/forfeiture (625n) on repeats.

RCW 46.61.5055, by prior offenses in 7 years and BAC tier (gross misdemeanor unless felony). No prior: 24 hrs-364 days jail + $350-$5,000 (<0.15); 48 hrs + $500-$5,000 (>=0.15 or refusal). 1 prior: 30 days + 60 days EHM + $500-$5,000 (<0.15); 45 days + 90 days EHM + $750-$5,000 (>=0.15/refusal). 2 priors: 90 days + 120 days EHM + $1,000-$5,000 (<0.15); 120 days + 150 days EHM + $1,500-$5,000 (>=0.15/refusal). 3+ priors in 15 years -> class B felony under ch 9.94A (46.61.502(6)). Minor-passenger enhancements add IID time, jail, and fines. Mandatory minimums are largely non-suspendable.

MCL 257.904. 1st violation: misdemeanor, up to 93 days jail or up to $500, plus registration plates canceled (unless the vehicle was stolen or used without the owner's knowing permission). 2nd+ (after a prior): up to 1 year or up to $1,000; plates canceled. DWS causing death: felony up to 15 yrs, $2,500-$10,000; causing serious impairment: felony up to 5 yrs, $1,000-$5,000. The SOS imposes an additional like period of suspension on conviction (or 30 days if the suspension was indefinite; 904(10)/(11)); a 2nd+ DWS within 7 years triggers vehicle immobilization (904(17) -> 904d). Emergency life/property exception (904(15)).

RCW 46.20.342, three degrees. first degree (habitual offender driving under a ch 46.65 revocation): gross misdemeanor, mandatory minimum jail 10 days (1st) / 90 (2nd) / 180 (3rd+), non-suspendable; +1-year revocation extension. second degree (suspended for a serious reason — DUI, vehicular homicide/assault, felony-vehicle, hit-and-run, prior DWS, administrative action): gross misdemeanor (up to 364 days / $5,000); +1-year no-new-license. third degree (suspended for administrative/financial reasons, including failure to furnish proof of FR / SR-22 under ch 46.29): misdemeanor (up to 90 days / $1,000); no extension. So driving while suspended solely for an unfiled SR-22 is the lightest tier (3rd degree).

MCL 257.319b. 60 days: 2 serious traffic violations in 36 months. 120 days: 3 in 36 months. 1 year (first major offense): OWI (625), refusal of chemical test, leaving the scene, a felony in which a vehicle was used, operating a CMV while disqualified, or a fatality by negligent operation. 3 years: a major offense while the CMV carried placarded hazmat. lifetime (reissue eligible after not less than 10 years + SOS approval): a second major offense from separate incidents. lifetime, no reduction: a CMV used in a controlled-substance manufacture/distribution felony; a major offense after a 10-year reissue; or a terrorism-chapter conviction (MCL 750.543a-z). HazMat endorsement denied/revoked on a federal security-risk notice (USA PATRIOT Act). Out-of-service (319d(4)/319f): 180 days / 2 yrs / 3 yrs ladders. Important for CDL holders (319b(7)): a DUI / refusal / leaving-the-scene / vehicle-felony committed in a NON-commercial vehicle counts against the CDL identically. CDL alcohol threshold is 0.04 (set in 625m). Only post-Jan 1, 1990 violations count.

RCW 46.25.090 (federal FMCSA structure). 1-year disqualification (first major offense): DUI — including a DUI in a non-commercial vehicle (0.08) — or CMV at 0.04+ BAC or any THC; refusal; leaving the scene; vehicle used in a felony; CMV-while-disqualified; negligent-operation fatality. 3-year if the offense occurred while transporting hazardous materials. lifetime (reducible to 10 years per federal rule) for a 2nd major offense. lifetime, no reduction: a vehicle used in a controlled-substance manufacture/distribution felony or a human-trafficking offense. Lesser ladders: serious traffic violations (60 days 2nd / 120 days 3rd in 3 years), out-of-service-order violations, railroad-crossing violations. CMV alcohol threshold is 0.04. Important for CDL holders: a DUI in a personal (non-commercial) vehicle still triggers a 1-year CDL disqualification.