In most states it is against the law to operate your vehicle without having insurance on your automobile. Besides being a law in the state of Utah, it is really a protective measure for you, your family and other drivers on the road to carry proper automobile insurance.
The basic components of car insurance break down into different areas of liability protection and each state has its own mandatory requirements and levels of coverage. While these levels are usually low you may want to increase the amount of coverage to further protect yourself and your family.
The six major areas of coverage include: bodily injury liability, property damage liability, personal injury protection or PIP, collision, comprehensive, and uninsured /underinsured motorist coverage. You may want to learn more about the other insurance options that are available to father protect you and your family.
Your bodily injury coverage will take care of the injuries of the people – other than you and your family members – who were in an accident where you were at fault. It will pay for medical bills, compensation for loss of wages, legal representation if required, rehabilitation or nursing care, pain and suffering, and funeral expenses.
While bodily injury liability covers others involved in the accident, personal injury protection covers you and any passengers in your vehicle. It also covers any drivers that have been authorized to drive your vehicle, and you and your family members when you are passengers in another vehicle. Basically it will usually cover around 80% of your medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, funeral expenses and lost wages.
Property damage coverage pays for any damage that your vehicle does to another person’s property through your own fault. It covers the repair and replacement of the property including parts and personal items that may have suffered damage due to the accident (any items that may have been left in the car that was deemed beyond repair).
You will be required to carry collision insurance if your vehicle has been financed in order to protect the lenders investment. Collision insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle if it was involved in an accident. Comprehensive coverage, on the other hand, protects your car in the event that it is damaged as a result of anything other than an accident, for example if your car is stolen, someone breaks into it or there it suffers flood damage.
Additional optional coverage available for your protection includes uninsured and/or under-insured motorist coverage. This pays for any damages that are a result of an uninsured motorist or a hit and run driver Under-insured motorist coverage comes into play if the other driver, who is at fault, does not have enough insurance to cover you.
If you want to cover yourself to the max, check out information regarding fire and theft coverage, gap insurance, pay-per-mile coverage, physical damage coverage, and rental car insurance.
