If you’ve ever driven in Atlanta or metro areas, you can almost expect to be sitting in traffic due to an accident. Since there are more and more people out on the roads who are commuting or using the roadways for traveling purposes, more miles are being driven and there is a higher risk for an accident to occur. If you are in an accident with an uninsured driver, or they only have minimal coverage, do you know how you might be affected?
Each state differs when it comes to required coverages for auto insurance. Minimum coverages vary as well as additional coverages that may be offered to an insured. In Georgia, the minimum coverage on an auto policy that a driver must carry is $25,000 in bodily injury per person, $50,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 in property damage per accident. Insurance agents in Georgia are supposed to offer a client uninsured motorist coverage along with an auto policy, but if the client does not want the additional coverage, it must be declined and put in writing.
People who choose not to have auto insurance at all because they don’t want to follow the guidelines set by the state, or because they are considered a “risky driver”, put everyone at risk. People who are driving here from out of state, may have even lower limits than what is required in Georgia, so they may not have enough coverage to pay for an accident in its entirety if they are at fault.
Uninsured motorist coverage will protect you if you are in an accident with someone who does not have insurance coverage. It will cover the cost of medical bills, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and the loss of future earnings. Uninsured motorist coverage also protects you if you are a passenger in a car that gets in an accident with an uninsured driver, if you are the passenger in a car with an uninsured driver who gets in an accident with another driver, or if you are a pedestrian who is hit by an uninsured driver.
Underinsured motorist coverage applies when an at-fault driver does not have the necessary auto coverage to pay for all bodily and property damages due to an accident. This type of coverage will reimburse the driver who is not at-fault for any damages after the at-fault driver’s coverage has been completely used up.
It is important to have more than minimal coverage on your auto policy, since the cost of medical expenses, vehicle parts, and the overall cost of an accident are increasing yearly. If you do not have sufficient coverage, or any coverage at all, then you are more likely to pay out of pocket, have wages garnished, and/or be sued for damages, whether you are at-fault or not.
At the Dickerson Agency, we are committed to help you buy insurance that will best protect your quality of life, should a claim occur. We will look over your policies and give you the best recommendations on coverage to help achieve this goal for you and your family. Give us a call today to see how we can help protect your future!