All About Auto Policy Coverage
Car insurance policies are designed to provide you with a level of protection against three distinct types of costs or damages if you are involved in an automobile accident: property, liability and medical.
Property
Property coverage pays for damage to, or the theft of, your car.
Liability
Liability coverage pays for your legal responsibility to others for bodily injury or property damage sustained in an accident.
Medical
Medical coverage pays for the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation, and sometimes lost wages and funeral expenses. However, that’s not all there is to consider.here are even more variables to look at when shopping around for car insurance, including the types of liability coverage you may need, and whether your car requires collision and/or comprehensive coverage.
Types of liability coverage
Bodily Injury Liability (BI)
Bodily injury liability covers injuries that you, as the designated driver or policyholder, cause to someone else. It does not, however, cover the cost of damage to your vehicle, or to you or other people on your policy. In most states, bodily injury liability is a nonnegotiable requirement.
Property Damage Liability (PD)
Property damage liability covers you or someone else who may be driving the car with your permission if the car damages someone else’s property. PD Liability also provides you with legal defense if another party files a lawsuit against you.
Medical Payments (MP) or Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
MP and PIP coverage are no-fault coverage options that provide medical expenses to you and any of your passengers who may have been injured in an accident.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UM or UIM)
This type of coverage will reimburse you if you are hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, or when an at-fault driver has insufficient insurance to pay for your total loss. This way, the financial burden or repairing your vehicle is significantly lessened, even if the at-fault driver is uninsured.
Collision and Comprehensive Coverage
Collision Coverage
Collision insurance pays for damage to your car that is sustained when your car hits, or is hit by, another vehicle or other object. This coverage is not required by most states, but if you have leased or are financing the purchase of your vehicle, then the lien holder will most likely require it.
Comprehensive Coverage
Comprehensive coverage pays for damage sustained if your vehicle – and sometimes other vehicles you may be driving – for losses resulting from incidents other than collision. This coverage is also not required by most states, but a lender may insist that you carry it until your loan is paid off.
Is My Car Properly Insured?
This is a great question, and it’s one the team of insurance experts at Hanson & Ryan can help answer. Generally, most states require car owners to purchase at least a minimum of bodily injury and property damage liability insurance, but oftentimes, the rest is left up to your own discretion.
So, how do you determine whether you have the proper insurance for your vehicle? It is common to think that all auto policy coverages are the same and that all insurance companies offer similar packages, but before you buy into that idea, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you know what type of auto coverage you should have?
- When a car accident happens, how is your insurance company at handling claims?
- Do you get the right advice and recommendations that help you save on your premium?
- Can your insurance agent or company shop your renewal with five of the leading auto carriers if you are displeased with your insurance rate?
- Is your insurance company financially stable in the New Jersey auto marketplace?
At Hanson & Ryan, we can help you check all of those boxes and more!
Hanson & Ryan Can Help Serve All of Your Auto Insurance Needs
If you are trying to make sense of your automobile coverage options and the limits that you need, reach out and let us provide you with a car insurance quote. At Hanson & Ryan, we’ve been working within the insurance industry for over 140 years, so we have gained a comprehensive understanding of all elements that encapsulate insurance coverage.
If you’d like to learn about how Hanson & Ryan can better serve your auto insurance needs, give us a call today!
