If you drive, you need to carry auto insurance, liability at a bare minimum. It's the smart thing, the responsible thing, and it's the law. But for any driver venturing into Oregon, there's an added incentive to carry insurance: if you're injured in an auto collision in Oregon due to someone else's negligence, and you're not insured, your personal injury claim will be limited to economic losses only (medical bills, wage loss, etc.), and there will be no non-economic (“pain and suffering”) damages. ORS 31.715 is the statute that lays this out, and there are very few exceptions to it, which in many cases will likely not apply (other driver guilty of reckless driving- a very high legal hurdle to overcome, lapsed coverage in the last 180 days before and no prior uninsured-driving violations for a year before the lapse, to name a couple).
Putting aside all the other reasons driving with insurance is imperative, non-economic or “general” damages often make up the larger part of a motor vehicle personal injury claim, and they are essential to fairly compensate someone for all they've been through, including any permanent impairment or disability. It can lead to a huge financial setback. I've never met a potential client who isn't greatly dismayed to find out this consequence of driving uninsured. It's just one more reason to make sure you have auto insurance, and that it is kept up to date.
