What is covered by a basic auto
insurance program?Your car policy may
include 6 programs. Each coverage is priced separately.
1) Bodily Injury Liability
This plan applies to injuries that you, the
driver or policyholder, cause to someone else. You and your family
members listed on the service are also covered when driving someone
else’s vehicle with their permission.
It’s very important to have enough liability
vehicle insurance, because if you are involved in a serious fortuity,
you may be sued for a large sum of money. Definitely consider buying
more than the state-required minimum to protect assets such as your
home and savings.
2) Medical Payments or Personal Injury
Protection (PIP)
This coverage pays for the treatment of injuries
to the driver and passengers of the plan holder's auto. At its
broadest, PIP can cover medical payments, lost wages and the cost of
replacing services normally performed by someone injured in an car
accident. It may also cover funeral costs.
Three) Property Damage Liability
This service pays for damage you (or someone
driving the vehicle with your permission) may cause to someone else's
property. Usually, this means damage to someone else’s automobile, but
it also includes damage to lamp posts, telephone poles, fences,
buildings or other structures your automobile hit.
Four) Collision
This program pays for damage to your car
resulting from a vehicle car crash with another motorcar, object or as
a result of flipping over. It also covers damage caused by potholes.
chance event service is generally sold with a deductible of $250 to
$1,000—the higher your deductible, the lower your premium. Even if you
are at fault for the car accident, your collision coverage will
reimburse you for the costs of repairing your car, minus the
deductible. If you're not at fault, your automobile insurance firm may
try to recover the amount they paid you from the other driver’s auto
insurance cost. If they are successful, you'll also be reimbursed for
the deductible.
5) Comprehensive
This plan reimburses you for loss due to theft
or damage caused by something other than a accident with another
motorcar or object, such as fire, falling objects, missiles,
explosion, earthquake, windstorm, hail, flood, vandalism, riot, or
contact with animals such as birds or deer.
Comprehensive automobile insurance is usually
sold with a $100 to $300 deductible, though you may want to opt for a
higher deductible as a way of lowering your premium.
Comprehensive auto insurance will also reimburse
you if your windshield is cracked or shattered. Some costs offer glass
coverage with or without a deductible.
6. Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist plan
This coverage will reimburse you, a member of
your family, or a designated driver if one of you is hit by an
uninsured or hit-and-run driver.
Underinsured motorist coverage comes into play
when an at-fault driver has insufficient vehicle insurance to pay for
your total loss. This service will also protect you if you are hit as
a pedestrian.
Can I drive legally without vehicle insurance?
NO! Almost every state requires you to have
vehicle insurance. All states also have financial responsibility laws.
This means that even in a state that does not require liability
insurance, you need to have sufficient assets to pay claims if you
cause an collision. If you don’t have car insurance assets, you must
purchase at least the state minimum amount of agreement. But auto
insurance exists to protect your assets. Trying to see how little you
can get by with can be very shortsighted and dangerous. The auto
insurance industry and consumer monetary values generally recommend a
minimum of $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and
$300,000 per accident since collisions may cost far more than the
minimum limits mandated by most states.
If you've financed your vehicle, your lender may
require comprehensive and collision insurance as part of the loan
agreement.