You can’t afford NOT to have UIM Coverage

Whether you drive a lot or a little – when you are out on the road, you will likely be surrounded by other drivers.  Often, lots of them.

The problem is, not all of them carry the insurance they are required to have by law.

You see, if you are driving and are at-fault an accident, your liability insurance will be there to cover the damage and injury you might cause to another driver.

But what if another driver hits you?  You’d expect that they have the insurance to pay for the damage and injury they caused for you.

The problem is, a significant precentage of them don’t.

If the at-fault party in your accident doesn’t have the insurance or financial resources to pay for your damage, medical expenses and loss of income, YOU will have to step up.  Your liability insurance (the state-required part of your insurance plan) will not protect you.  Liability insurance is designed to pay the party that suffers injuries and losses caused by you, not losses suffered by you.

Unless you decided to protect yourself with Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Coverage, you’ll be left paying for the repair bills and medical expenses accident out of your own pocket!

Here are 5 reasons why you can’t afford NOT to have this important coverage:

1.  17% of Washington’s drivers are uninsured.  That means, every 6th driver on Washington’s roads carries no insurance whatsoever, which makes Washington rank #10 of US states with most uninsured drivers.  Likely, these drivers don’t carry insurance because they are trying to save money… which means that they might not have the assets to pay a loss out of  pocket if they’re at-fault in an accident.

2.   An additional (unknown) number of drivers carry insufficient insurance.  In other words, a high percentage of other drivers carry insurance, but they fail to carry enough to cover a serious injury claim.   Washington State’s minimum liability limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 for all people hurt in the accident, plus $10,000 to cover property damage. It’s not surprising that many drivers are underinsured.  An ambulance ride and one night in a hospital can max out the injury liability protection per person – and that doesn’t include a surgery, additional medical treatment, or loss of wages.  And, honestly, what newer car could be replaced for $10,000 after being totaled in an accident?  Washington State minimum liability limits are insufficient to cover an average accident.

3.   Liability Insurance protects the driver you hit. Not you.  Even if you carry insurance and have increased your liability limits: As a third party coverage, liability insurance won’t apply to protect you if you experienced injury and loss in a not-at-fault accident.

4.   In light of the high numbers of uninsured / underinsured motorists on the road, it makes sense to make sure that you are protected, too.  Don’t you think?  Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage is a very affordable coverage you can add to your car insurance plan to protect yourself.  It must be offered to you in Washington, though you can choose to decline it. You can acquire coverage limits up to the limits on your liability insurance and protect yourself to the same extent that you protect the other party in case of an at-fault accident.

UM/UIM coverage doesn’t only protect you, but also your family members or other passengers who ride along in your car.  Its protection extends beyond medical payments and health insurance, and includes coverage such as loss of income for all your passengers, up to policy limits.

5.   UM/UIM coverage protects you outside of your car, too!

Say, you or a family member are riding in a friend’s car and are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.  Your UM/UIM Coverage will be there for you!

Or, imagine you’re walking down the street and are struck by an uninsured driver.  Your UM/UIM Coverage will protect you even if you’re not behind a wheel!

At Northwest Women’s Injury Law, we’ve seen many unfortunate circumstances involving uninsured and underinsured drivers. Protect yourself and your family by making sure that your auto insurance policy has UM/UIM coverage. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with an underinsured or uninsured driver, call us today (425) 818-5331. We serve clients throughout Western Washington, including Seattle, Lynnwood, Bellevue, Everett, and Tacoma.