You have auto insurance coverage. Your spouse has coverage. Your kids know that when they’re adults, they need to have it. As a responsible and concerned person, you’ve practically wrapped your family in bubble wrap with all of the insurance coverage you’ve taken out.
Unfortunately, when you’re rear-ended sitting at a red light, the other driver doesn’t have insurance. There’s no insurance company to pay the claim or anyone other than your insurer to talk to about how to pay for the damage and the medical bills. The driver who hit you is one of 30 million drivers across the country on the road with no insurance coverage.
It’s a scary thought, isn’t it?
The good news is that you can protect yourself from uninsured motorists out on the road.
UNINSURED MOTORIST INSURANCE COVERAGE
There are two forms of insurance you can purchase to protect you from drivers with no, or not enough, insurance. The first is uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. If you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver and they are at fault, this coverage will kick in. Your medical bills and lost wages will be covered. This coverage works if you’re a pedestrian hit by a car or the victim in a hit-and-run accident, too.
The other insurance coverage to consider is underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. Typically this is a driver with some, but not enough, liability insurance to cover the full cost of the accident. Their insurance will pay up to their limit, and the UIM coverage will cover the shortfall up to your limit.
HOW TO BUY AND USE UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE
When you buy UM coverage as part of your auto insurance policy, you should select coverage that matches your current liability limits. In most cases, this will be $100,000 bodily injury per person and $300,000 per accident. UM coverage isn’t as costly as your regular policy. The premium increase shouldn’t be a dramatic change.
If you find yourself the victim of an accident and the driver says they don’t have insurance, you’ll need to get as much information as possible. Try to document the accident with an official police report. Yes, this means you may wait a while for an officer to arrive on the scene, but you’ll be glad you did when you file your claim. Get the other driver’s information – driver’s license, registration information, plate number, and the make and model of their vehicle. Take pictures and get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses to contact later. Call your insurance company to file a claim.
Uninsured Motorist coverage is another protective layer to wrap around yourself and your family in case of an accident. You can’t control whether other people buy auto insurance as they’re legally obligated to do, but you can make sure you’re not the one who has to pay for their choices.
Contact us at Charlotte Insurance today for a free estimate to add uninsured motorist coverage to your auto insurance policy. We’re here to help you protect your family.