The words uninformed people will say to an agent when seeking auto insurance coverage is that they want the cheapest liability policy for the cheapest price. A good agent will attempt to educate the customer on the other coverage options that are available, but if a customer is simply adamant about getting the cheapest price and not interested to even know their options, they will certainly get what they ask for: Bare bones cheap liability insurance. Two of the most overlooked car insurance types may be under-insured and uninsured motorist coverage.
An accident is worse enough, even worse if the party at fault is not covered
Hopefully they will never find themselves in a situation in which they are victims of an accident and the other driver doesn’t have insurance coverage, or the driver doesn’t have much insurance coverage and it becomes inadequate to pay for the medical bills. If this unfortunate circumstance would occur, the person who bought their insurance policy only asking for bare minimum risk coverage probably will not have the additional coverage options to make up the difference.
Here are four great examples why car owners should consider all options, especially Uninsured and Under-Insured Motorists insurance coverage.
1. Driving in Other States That Have Different Coverage Requirements
If someone from North Carolina is driving in Florida and is involved in an accident that wasn’t even their fault, they still may end up fully responsible for their own medical coverage. This is because Florida has no-fault laws that require their residents to have medical coverage and property damage only.
The Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage on Florida policies only covers the owner of the car and household members, not the other party they hit.
By having first party medical benefits and Uninsured/Under-Insured Motorists Coverage, the car owner from a different state can receive the coverage needed to help pay for injuries and medical costs.
2. Hit and Run Accidents
For a person who only has the minimum liability insurance coverage and nothing else, there will be no protection if someone were to slam into their car and take off. There would be no medical protection and possibly no coverage for damage to the car unless they also had collision insurance. By having both Uninsured Motorists Bodily Injury and Uninsured Motorists Property Damage (not available in all states), the hit and run victim can be provided benefits for medical bills, emergency room, doctor services, as well as repair or replacement of their car.
3. You Are Sole or Main Provider for Family
If you have family that depends on you for your wages in order to keep a roof over their head and food on the table, you most definitely should include UM/UIM coverage. Some people may consider the fact they have health insurance and decide that if they are hurt by an uninsured motorist, they will simply use their own health insurance plan to pay for it. While it’s true that most health insurance would cover some of the costs associated with a UM incident, it won’t cover lost wages. If you are injured in a hit and run accident and cannot work for a period of time, your health care cannot provide compensation for the reduced or lost wages that may occur.
4. You Have a Loan on the Car
The last thing you want is to be responsible to pay for a car that you no longer own because it is totaled out from a hit-and-run or an uninsured motorist. For those states who offer UM for Property Damage, it’s vital to ensure that coverage option on cars with loans.
As you can see, Uninsured and Under-Insured Motorists Coverage is essential in many cases. By eliminating these important coverage options, you leave yourself exposed to devastating financial loss. The UM/UIM portion of the policy is relatively inexpensive in most cases. At least take the time to do a comparison analysis with and without the UM coverage to know the difference.
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