Coverage Explanation

Auto Insurance Coverage Explanation

Listed below are different coverages available on an automobile policy.

Please click on the title for further definition.

Bodily Injury Liability

If you cause an accident and are responsible for the injuries of others, this coverage will protect you against their claims, up to the stated amount, for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any other losses related to the accident.

Property Damage Liability

This coverage will pay, up to the stated amount, for property damaged by you in an accident. Damaged items such as vehicles, fences, mailboxes, light poles and signposts are all examples of items covered under this coverage.

Medical Payments

This coverage will cover you and anyone riding in your vehicle. It also covers you and your family members if a vehicle strikes you while walking or riding in another vehicle. Usually, medical payments only cover expenses that are not covered by health insurance. Reasonable medical expenses, rehabilitation expenses and even funeral expenses are all examples of what is covered under Medical Payments coverage. This coverage is optional under state law, but if you choose this coverage, the current law states that you must carry a minimum of $10,000 in coverage.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM)

This coverage applies to bodily injury only, not property damage. It covers you, your family members and any other occupants of your vehicle who are injured if you are involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist or hit-and-run driver. It also covers you and your family members for injuries sustained as a pedestrian if an uninsured or hit-and-run driver hits you. The minimum limits under state law are $100,000 per person/$300,000 per occurrence.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM)

This coverage is now mandatory and the state minimum limits are $100,000 per person/$300,000 per occurrence. Underinsured Motorist coverage pays for bodily injury sustained from an accident in which the liable party did not have an adequate amount of coverage to pay all of your medical bills. This coverage pays the difference in what the responsible party had for limits and your current limits of coverage.

Comprehensive Coverage

This coverage will provide compensation for damages to your vehicle that are caused by fire, vandalism, wind, falling objects, contact with animals, hail, glass breakage, and theft. Typical policies carry deductible limits of $100, $250, $500. The deductible is what you would have to pay out of your pocket before the insurance company would pay for the rest of the claim.

Collision Coverage

This coverage will provide compensation for damages to your vehicle when you collide with another vehicle, an object, or when your vehicle overturns. Payment is made even when you are at fault. Policy deductibles are typically $100, $250, $500 and you are responsible for paying your deductible portion before the insurance company will pay the balance of the claim.

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