Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage in California

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage is a form of automobile coverage that can be purchased on top of your liability insurance. In California, all drivers are required to have a minimum limit of 15/30/5 of insurance coverage. This insurance covers bodily injury per person of $15,0000, $30,000 per accident and property damage of $5,000 per accident.

Although uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance is optional, it provides extra protection if a person is injured by someone with little or no auto insurance. It is usually a good idea to purchase as the cost is minimal, and the benefits are great.

When selecting auto insurance, keep in mind California has one of the largest number of uninsured drivers compared to any other state. This is one of the reasons why there is a serious problem with under-insured and uninsured drivers in this state. The truth is that even if you drive responsibly and take reasonable precautions when driving on the road, you may still find yourself involved in a car accident with an under-insured or uninsured driver. If this happens, it can leave you seriously injured and financially wrecked after a serious accident that was not your fault.

To provide you a better understanding of the uim coverage, our California personal injury attorneys will discuss the topics in more depth here:

1. How Does Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Work in California?

California laws require motorists to maintain liability insurance, which combines bodily injury and property damage coverage. The minimum liability coverage a person must have is the "15/30/5" liability insurance.

• $15,000 for bodily injury or death of any individual person involved in a car accident caused by you,
• $30,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people combined, and
• $5,000 for property damage resulting from a collision.

If the level of liability coverage is not high enough, you can always purchase higher levels of automobile insurance. This is in addition to the legal requirements set forth by the state. Apart from these mandatory coverage laws which are dependent, there are several other types of insurance coverage that you should consider getting if you would like to have full protection for any type of accident.

Car insurance is available throughout the state of California. However, many drivers aren't able to afford or aren't comfortable with the high cost of it. By selecting the bare minimum coverage, this means that drivers are not as protected as they would be otherwise. In California, some auto insurance companies also provide bodily injury coverage of up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.

Under the California Insurance Code, an insurance company is required to offer uninsured motorist coverage for accidents caused by other uninsured drivers. This coverage is known as uninsured motorist coverage, or UMC. Uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI), and uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) fall under this category.

2. What Is the Difference Between Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Insurance?

Although many California drivers do have car insurance, a lot of them tend to choose the minimum coverage amounts. These amounts might be enough to cover minor accidents, but may not be enough for serious accidents or accidents with your family in the car.

3. Do I really need uninsured motorist coverage?

This is a good question. For some people, they rather save their money, pay as little as possible for auto insurance coverage, and drive as safe as possible. There is nothing wrong with this. Other people want to make sure that they're protected no matter what. If something outside of their control goes wrong, they're not worried about paying a few dollars extra, and want to be protected in all scenarios. The thing to keep in mind is you cannot control a negligent driver. If the at fault driver causes a collision, that will be the time an insurer consider their insurance policy.

When something bad does happen, many people who have underinsured and/or uninsured motorist coverage have more peace during the process. Why? Well, if a person crashes into you, causing you and your family serious injury, resulting in medical expenses, underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage will protect you if the other person has minimal or no insurance. This is great because you will worry less about the medical expenses and get the treatment you need. In comparison, for those chose to save a few dollars, they will likely be stressing about the collision, insurance policy, medical expenses, and the whole process. Make sure you have the right insurance policy to protect you against an at fault driver.

4. How Much Will Uninsured Motorist Coverage Cost?

The pricing will depend upon your driving record and the insurance company. With all automobile insurance carriers, they look at your driving record. This will include among other factors, your driving record, any tickets received in the past, and any prior accidents you were involved in.

In order to find the right auto insurance coverage, you can use online uim insurance providers and increase and decrease the coverage limit to see your options. Many providers have insurance quotes online where you can compare the underinsured coverage and see what you would pay. This is highly recommended as it will give you greater control and let you see all your coverage limit options.

5. How Much Uninsured Insurance Should I Get?

In California, car insurance companies generally only offer the same coverage limit as your liability policy. So if you have $50,000 worth of liability coverage, you'll only be able to obtain $50,000 worth of uninsured motorist coverage.

California residents may purchase additional auto insurance coverage to protect themselves from a negligent driver. The additional underinsured coverage, often called "non-insured" or "under-insured" coverage, acts as a buffer between how much you actually have and the liability of an underinsured driver.

Lastly, you should get enough insurance, what you can afford, and what you will need if you are ever involved in a motor vehicle collision with a negligent driver. No one wants to become an injured person in a serious accident. However, it is something you should think about. If you get into a serious accident with an underinsured driver, you are going to think about your underinsured coverage.