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Auto Insurance: Bodily Injury and Liability Coverage

January 26, 2012 by Sherol in Auto Insurance with 1 Comment

Bodily injury liability coverage is one of the basic forms of auto insurance coverage that is included as a standard coverage on any auto policy. Bodily injury liability insurance is designed to cover the costs of injuries and medical expenses for the driver and passengers in other vehicles when you are cited for being at fault in an accident. Having enough coverage of this type will keep you from facing legal issues like lawsuits and give you the peace of mind that you are protected under any circumstances. Of course, some people will still try to sue even if you have this coverage, but typically this only happens if the injuries or expenses succeed the amount of coverage that you have. State minimum requirements for bodily injury liability insurance are usually very low. In fact, most states require less than $50,000 in coverage for drivers to be legal. While that might seem like a lot of money for one person’s injuries, medical bills add up fast. If helicopter evacuation is required, if ambulances come to the scene, or if medical care is very intensive because of serious injuries, people will quickly run that $50,000 out and come back to you for more. Most insurance companies generally recommend coverage of 100/300 as a minimum for a driver, which translates into: $100,000 in bodily injury liability insurance per PERSON and $300,000 in bodily injury liability insurance per ACCIDENT.

Having coverage that goes above and beyond state minimum requirements is nothing new. In fact, if you’ve ever had a car loan, you’ve likely paid for more insurance than what your state requires. Full coverage car insurance is usually required for people who have auto loans on their vehicles to protect the lender from a total loss that cannot be repaid. Of course, even if you don’t have a loan on your car, you can get higher coverage limits for only a few dollars more a month to give yourself peace of mind. When it comes to auto insurance, bodily injury liability coverage is one of the most important types of coverage that you can have. Not having it, or not having enough insurance, can cause lawsuits and other legal problems that you don’t need to deal with.

If it comes down to the difference between an extra $20 a month for double or triple the coverage or not getting it and hoping that you’ll be okay, you need to get it. After all, when you don’t have enough coverage, you might end up paying thousands more than you ever would have because of a lawsuit settlement in favor of the victim. What sounds like a better deal to you: $20 a month or $500,000 from a settlement because you weren’t insured or didn’t have high enough limits? It just makes sense to get all the insurance that you can when it’s so affordable, because it will protect you from serious issues and having to spend the rest of your life paying for something that might have only cost $100 a year.

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One Comment

  1. Manal SamyFeb 28, 2011 at 1:28 pmReply

    Excellent points, Sherol. In our litigious society, state auto insurance minimums are far too low. As you state, 100/300 coverage should be a bare minimum consideration to insure a car.

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