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Auto
Insurance Coverages Explained |
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Liability
Insurance
Medical
Payments Insurance
Underinsured
and Uninsured Motorist Insurance
Collision
Insurance
Comprehensive
Automobile Insurance
Automobile
Insurance Endorsements
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Liability
Insurance |
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This is probably
the most important type of car insurance, and it's required by most
state auto insurance laws. Liability car insurance protects you against
the cost of damage and injury that you cause to another in an automobile
accident.
It's actually made
up of two different policies, bodily injury liability, and property
damage liability. As you might guess, bodily injury insurance protects
you from the cost of personal injury to others, and property damage
insurance protects you from the cost of damage you cause to any physical
property.
You've probably
seen automobile policies described by three numbers (like 50/100/25).
These numbers refer to auto liability insurance.
They're usually
called the split limits of liability insurance. Under our example auto
liability insurance policy, you'd be covered for up to:
•$50,000
worth of bodily injury caused to another person
•$100,000 for bodily injuries caused to everyone
•$25,000 worth of property damage.
Even though it may
be tempting to save a few bucks by going with the minimum liability
required in your state, it is always worth investing in a little extra
protection.
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Medical
Payments Insurance |
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This policy provides
for the immediate treatment of injuries caused by a car accident. You,
your family members and other passengers in your vehicle are covered,
regardless of who is at fault for the accident.
Depending on the
specifics of the policy, medical payments coverage may also compensate
for lost wages or services of a person injured in the car accident.
PIP, or personal
injury protection, is similar to medical payments coverage, but usually
provides broader coverage. Many PIP policies provide compensation for
lost wages, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering.
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Underinsured
and Uninsured Motorist Insurance |
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Both of these types
of insurance protect you against injury caused in an automobile accident
where the at-fault driver's liability car insurance coverage is inadequate.
Though they're often lumped together, they're really two distinct policies.
Uninsured motorist
insurance is needed when the other driver has no liability coverage.
Underinsured motorist
coverage pays for the cost of your injuries that exceed the other driver's
coverage maximum.
Most states require
neither type of coverage, but some require one or the other, and a few
even require both. They're more often required in no fault states.
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Collision Insurance |
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Collision insurance
coverage pays for damage caused to your vehicle in an automobile accident,
when you are "at fault". A standard collision automobile insurance
policy will pay for any repairs up to the fair market value of your
car.
Collision coverage usually also comes with an insurance deductible.
It's the amount of money you pay toward repairs before your collision
insurance kicks in. The higher the deductible you're willing to pay,
the less the collision policy will cost.
Collision insurance
coverage is not required by law in any state. However, if you're driving
a car purchased from a dealership or financed through a lender, you
may be required by the dealership or lender to carry collision insurance.
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Comprehensive
Automobile Insurance |
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Comprehensive
is very similar to collision insurance, the main difference being that
comprehensive covers damage caused to your vehicle caused by any unknown
party or "act of God".
Vandalism, flood, hurricane, theft, and fire are all
events usually covered by comprehensive automobile insurance. (But
make sure to read your comprehensive insurance policy for exact coverage
details.)
Like
collision automobile insurance, comprehensive coverage will pay up
to the fair market value of your car (less your insurance deductible.)
And although it's not legally required by any state, you will probably
need it if your car is financed.
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Automobile
Insurance Endorsements |
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Automobile
insurance endorsement is just a fancy term for any of those policy extras
like towing insurance, auto glass insurance, daily rental insurance,
and emergency roadside insurance.
These policies
are never required by any state, but many drivers value the security
and convenience they provide.
Here's
what you get for your money:
•
auto towing insurance pays for (you guessed it) towing your car anytime
you need it
•
auto glass insurance gives you a lower deductible (or no deductible)
when it comes to repairing any broken window on your car.
•
daily rental insurance covers the cost of a rental car while your car
is being repaired because of a covered event. (So you'll usually need
both comprehensive and collision insurance to qualify.)
•
emergency roadside assistance covers repairs done on the spot. Changing
a flat roadside may be covered, but you'll have to pay for any repairs
at the garage. This policy is often combined with auto towing coverage,
and called roadside emergency towing insurance.
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Source:
Auto Insurance in Depth
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Copyright
© 2003 Total Insurance Network, All Rights Reserved.
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