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Uninsured Motorist Coverage
What is uninsured motorist coverage?
Uninsured motorist coverage (also known as underinsured
motorist coverage) covers the cost of damages
to your car in the event that you are hit by another
driver who doesn't have car insurance. Uninsured
motorist coverage also pays for medical care for
you and your passengers, and funeral costs for
injuries related to the accident up to the amount
that your policy would have covered for the other
person had the accident been your fault. Hit and
run accidents are included under this policy as
well. Accidents involving bikes and pedestrians
may also be covered; contact your prospective
provider to be sure.
Who needs uninsured motorist coverage?
Everyone does. As much as we'd like to be able
to trust other people to hold up their civic (and
legal) responsibility and keep their car insurance
policy up to date, it's too much of a risk to
just cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Different states have different safety checks
in place to try and make sure that everyone on
the road is driving under a paid-up car insurance
policy. These include requiring auto insurance
companies to report lapsed policies, requiring
that car owners send in their license plates when
their auto insurance policy is cancelled, and
fines for every day the driver has no policy but
retains their license plates. If a driver get
caught driving without a current car insurance
policy, their car gets impounded and they're taken
to jail.
The system, however, is imperfect. Taking out
this policy in addition to your other insurance
is highly recommended, as is purchasing as much
as you can afford.
Get an idea of what you can afford with a free car insurance quote from Esurance >>
Uninsured motorist policy myth
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
is not for pedestrians to use as protection from
hit and run accidents. It is also not meant to
replace collision coverage, comprehensive coverage,
or no-fault insurance policies. Uninsured motorist
coverage is meant only to protect a responsible
driver from having to pay for the costs of irresponsible
drivers who do not have insurance.
How much uninsured motorist coverage do you need?
The average cost of uninsured motorist coverage is about $40 per year for about $100,000 worth of coverage. This will make up the difference in medical costs that your medical insurance and auto insurance policies don't cover.
Get your free personalized online auto insurance quote today! >>
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