I wanted to break down the main parts of car insurance for you to understand what each are and why you have to pay so much for each part. The three main parts are liability, collision, and comprehension. This article deals with an option called uninsured motorist.
Uninsured motorist means just that – a driver that doesn’t have insurance. And if they smack you and they don’t have insurance, then you have to sue them to get any money or to get paid for damages. But guess what? If they can’t afford insurance, do you really think you’ll be able to get any money from them if you sue? You could sue and probably win. But then you’d have to get a judgment and IF they had a job, then you could get their wages garnished for years and years to finally pay back the damages.
But it can go deeper than that. What if someone was hurt? Uninsured motorist covers you and your passengers up to the coverage you currently pay for as if you had the accident. So, if you had $100,000 coverage, but it wasn’t your fault, then your insurance company would pay the medical bills.
Try garnishing someone’s wages for $100,000. By the time they got close to paying you off, you’d die of old age.
Some insurance companies combine uninsured motorist coverage with underinsured motorist coverage. Let’s say they have insurance, but not enough to pay for all the injuries and repairs. Then your underinsured kicks in and pays the rest up to your policy limits.
Nobody wants to get into a car accident, especially with someone that doesn’t have insurance. Unfortunately, some people get insurance only long enough to get the tags for their car and then cancel their policy. Sure, they might get a ticket or if they have an accident, get fined, but these laws and fines still don’t get your car fixed.
I wish it was a good deterrent, but I don’t think its enough. Protect yourself. Speak to your insurance agent and discuss this option. Uninsured motorist protection runs on average of about $40 per year for $100,000 worth of coverage.
