blog home Insurance Which kind of car insurance do you probably need more of? (Hint: it costs very little to add more.)

Which kind of car insurance do you probably need more of? (Hint: it costs very little to add more.)

By John Singleton on July 21, 2016

Answer: “uninsured or underinsured motorist” coverage

At GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys, we regularly meet with potential clients who have been seriously injured in a car wreck. Often their stories about their accident and resulting injuries are heartbreaking — particularly when the driver who hit them has little or no insurance.

When that’s the case, one of the first questions we ask is, “What does your own auto insurance look like?” Typically, the client’s response is, “I’m fully covered.” Sadly, the reality is usually quite different: most drivers do not have enough “uninsured or underinsured motorist” coverage (UM/UIM).

Unlike liability coverage, which insures you if you injure someone else in an accident, UM/UIM coverage protects you if the person who hits you has little or no insurance.

What we see is that most at-fault drivers carry the minimum in liability coverage, and many don’t have any insurance at all. So if you are hit by one of these individuals, and you or your passengers suffer serious injuries, you are put in a disastrous situation. Hospital stays, surgeries, and other ongoing medical care can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And here’s the kicker: UM/UIM coverage is very inexpensive. In fact, a $1 million UM/UIM policy usually doesn’t cost much more per month than a $25,000 policy. So we recommend that you do what you can to protect yourself and your family by making sure you carry a high amount of UM/UIM coverage on your auto policy.

If you have any questions about your auto insurance, call your insurance agent, or call GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys at (804) 413-6777 for a free appointment. We will be happy to review your policy at no charge.