Car insurance protects you and other drivers from unexpected damages associated with driving. In an accident, the responsible party’s insurer may pay for damages to that person and his car but is also obligated to pay (up to a limit) the damages to other parties involved in the accident. These claims can be very large, particularly if somebody is disabled or killed as a result of the accident. It is because most people cannot pay for these sorts of damages out-of-pocket that most states require drivers to have car insurance of some sort.