Driving to and from work every day may seem like a normal occurrence. Because we do it all the time, we start getting too confident in our safety. But no matter how religiously you follow traffic rules, there is no assurance that other motorists are doing the same.
Car accidents happen every day, many times per day. And the results are devastating not only for the drivers but for their families. Lawyers encounter cases all the time when clients suffer serious injuries due to auto accidents, yet are faced with the frustration of not being able to recover enough compensation even to cover the medical bills.
Therein lies the importance of having an auto insurance policy, particularly an Under-Insured Motorist Insurance or UIM.
What is UIM?
UIM, or Under-Insured Motorist Insurance, protects you, your family, or other members of your household in case any of you suffer from serious car injuries caused by the negligence of another.
Why is UIM important?
Before you can be legally allowed to drive, you need to have liability insurance in place in case of accidents or injuries caused to another.
However, in most States such as Pennsylvania, the required liability insurance is only $15,000. That’s not enough to cover all the medical expenses required in case of a serious injury. So the victim and his family are put in a very tough position — the need to shell out enough money to pay for recovery, not to mention the devastating effects of the accident on the person and his loved ones.
If you have a UIM and you, your family, or members of your household, get into an accident, your insurance coverage allows you to make a claim against your own insurance company in case the motorist who caused the injury does not have enough insurance to compensate you.
This frees you from the trouble of paying costly medical bills for your recovery.
How much does UIM cover?
You can only have under-insured motorist insurance coverage up to the level of your liability coverage. So you need to have as much liability coverage as possible so you can get a good amount of compensation in case of accidents and serious injuries.
You should also consider getting the stacking option. This allows you to double, triple, or quadruple the coverage of your UIM, depending on the number of vehicles you own.
What you should do now
As soon as possible, take a good look at your insurance declaration pages for your automobile coverage. Make sure that you have under-insured motorist coverage under stacking. If not, apply for it immediately.
You never know when an accident can happen. But this simple act will make sure you and your family are protected.
