Automobile Insurance – Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Be Prepared for Drivers without Insurance
Unfortunately, even though it is unlawful to do so, there are drivers on the road these days who are not responsible enough to have insurance. Consider this sobering fact: “In 2015, 13.0 percent of motorists, or about one in eight drivers, was uninsured, according to a 2017 study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC), and that percentage continues to rise.” What does this potentially mean for you? It means that if you get into an accident, there’s about a 1 in 8 chance it will be with an uninsured driver!
If you are involved in an accident and the other driver is at fault and does not carry insurance, you MUST be protected! The way to get that protection is by carrying Uninsured Motorist coverage. This type of insurance helps pays your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and/or lost wages should you have an accident and the other driver has no insurance or is under insured.
There are two type of Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage: Non-stacked and Stacked and it’s important to know the differences between the two.
Non-stacked UM takes the per limit stated on the Declarations page of the policy as the per accident limit. So, if you carry UM $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident limit on your policy, then this is what your accident limit would be if you or any passengers are injured in an accident with an uninsured/underinsured driver.
Stacked UM determines the per person and per accident limit by the number of vehicles covered by the same policy. Essentially, you stack your coverage. Say you have three vehicles on one policy with UM limits of $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident with Stacked UM, and you are injured in an accident with an uninsured/underinsured driver. You would have limits of $300,000 per person/$900,000 per accident to cover the entire loss. Yes, the coverage is much greater for Stacked UM.
Sadly, we share the road with too many drivers who are okay with “risking it all.” As there’s a good chance that you might run into one – literally – it’s best to be prepared. Contact the dedicated professionals at Heacock today to learn more about our Uninsured Motorist insurance policies. This is important coverage, not just for yourself, but for all who ride with you. Don’t go without it.