What You Need to Know About Your Car Insurance
Car insurance is not something that most people want to talk about especially when the insurance rates are as high as they are in most states. Knowing how much car insurance you need to buy is your first step. Of course, an insurance expert would probably tell you that you should purchase insurance according to what you are able to afford. This may be the accepted rule, but it might be an advice that you want to revisit as you would your stock option of whether to buy stock low and sell it at a higher rate.
There is some logic in it, but that does not mean that it will suit your particular situation. You have to make an educated decision when it comes to purchasing car insurance. There are specific things to consider such as what minimal coverage is allowed in the state that you live in. Secondly, if you opt for the minimum what exactly does it cover? Thirdly, what are your other coverage options that you can afford, if any? Lastly, what protection are you getting for that coverage?
You want to know how much coverage you have when it comes to bodily injury liability. An example would be that of 20/40 coverage. This means that for every injured person in an accident that happens in your car, the coverage is $20,000 minimum and $40,000 maximum. If your coverage is 20/40/10, it means that you have additional $10,000 coverage for any damage to property done.
The minimum coverage
Let’s say you are aware of what the minimum coverage is for the state that you live in (this is something that you should know), what does this coverage provide would be the next determination. You will need to know what the various definitions mean and how they are applied to your particular car insurance coverage. Let’s look at each of them individually.
Comprehensive insurance for your car will provide coverage to your car and in some cases other cars that you may drive and suffer an incident that does not include a collision. This type of coverage includes damage to your vehicle if someone steals it, and damage to your car through flooding, fire or other objects. The insurance agency will be responsible to fix your vehicle, but depending on which deductible you choose, you may have to pay out of pocket costs as well. There is limited coverage involved here depending on the policy conditions.
Bodily Injury Liability provides coverage to injuries that occur to other people in an accident for which you are responsible. You will also be able to get help with your legal defense if someone from the accident legally sues you. The bodily injury claims include payment for medical bills, and the loss of employment income as well as pain and suffering. This means you should get sufficient insurance to cover all of these issues; legally and medically. This clause excludes any injury to your vehicle. It only covers anything related to people.
Collision provides coverage to any damage done to your car in an accident whether you are hit by another vehicle or you hit another vehicle. The insurance agency will issue payment, but you have to take care of the deductible (whatever that is). If you want to decrease your monthly premium to a lower amount, then you should increase your deductible. If your car is an older car, you probably don’t need this coverage because collision coverage is limited to the cash value of your vehicle.
Your medical expenses and that of any passenger injured during an accident would fall under Medical Payment coverage. You might even receive medical coverage if you are a pedestrian who has been injured by another vehicle no matter who is to be blamed.
The uninsured motorist bodily injury provides coverage to injury sustained by you or a passenger when the other vehicle owner does not have insurance or does not have sufficient insurance to cover damage that is done to your vehicle.
Personal injury protection provides coverage for hospital visits and expenses if a funeral ensues for the insured person, passengers and any pedestrians involved in an accident. This is available in only a few states.
Property damage liability provides coverage if someone’s property is damaged by your vehicle. It can be their vehicle, house, a fence or any property that is damaged during an accident. You will need enough coverage to take care of any of these scenarios in the event of an accident.
You may also want to consider rental care reimbursement that will cover payments made for a rental car during the time that your car is being repaired after an accident. The bottom line is what you can afford and what will benefit you in the long run. For more information please Visit: www.insurancequotesus.com
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