Uninsured Motorist Coverage, What Is It?

When you buy your auto insurance, you usually look for the cheapest coverage.  That may not necessarily be limited to what insurance company you purchase your insurance from, but it may also include what overages you decide to purchase.  One coverage that many people decide not to purchase is uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.  What you need to understand before you decide to make the selection is to understand what type of loss the coverage apply to.   First, Uninsured Motorist coverage protects you from injuries caused by an uninsured driver, meaning someone who is driving without any insurance.  Even though all states have laws that mandate drivers have insurance  not all drivers in fact do carry the requisite insurance.  Underinsured Motorist insurance provides coverage for those injuries which are not adequately covered by the at fault person’s insurance.  For example in Arizona the minimum amount of coverage a drive must maintain is $15,000.00 per person/ $30,000.00 for injury related damages.  The Arizona legislature set these limits in the early 70’s, and are at this point out of date.

If you are in an accident and you go to the emergency room following the accident, the bills for the ambulance, the hospital and the physician services can easily exceed the $15,000.00 of coverage that most people carry.  Thus the at fault driver’s insurance will not be adequate to compensate you for your injuries, it may barely cover the costs of the emergency room visit.  Underinsured motorist coverage will cover that excess claim value.

If you are injured in an accident you should speak with an attorney who can explain what your rights are and what your available avenues for compensation are.