The Insurance Commissioner of the State of Delaware has the mandatory insurance requirements for all Delaware residents. There are six major areas of coverage for automobile insurance but not all are mandatory.
If you are a licensed driver in the state of Delaware you must carry the following insurance coverage on your vehicle: Bodily Injury Protection, Property Damage and Personal Injury Protection.
Bodily injury liability covers the injuries or death of a person if you are responsible for an accident. Property damage liability covers the repair and/or replacement of another person’s property that was damaged or destroyed as a result of an accident that you were responsible for. And personal injury protection covers the medical expenses and loss of wages even if you were not responsible for the accident.
The minimum amounts are the highest level that your insurance company will pay out for each level of coverage. For bodily injury, you are required to carry $15,000/$30,000, which means up to $15,000 to one person in a single accident and up to $30,000 to all people involved in a single accident but no more than $15,000 to one person.
Property damage coverage minimum requirement in Delaware is $10,000 and you are responsible for the damages of another person’s property.
And PIP coverage minimums are $15,000/$30,000. The most your insurance company will pay out, whether you were at fault or not, is up to $15,000 to one person in a single accident or up to $30,000 to all people involved but not more than $15,000 to one person.
PIP also covers up to $5,000 or funeral expenses in case of death.
These are only the minimums required by the state. You may want to add additional coverage to further protect yourself and your family. If you still owe money on your vehicle, your lender will require you to carry collision coverage to protect their investment.
Comprehensive coverage protects the value and replacement of 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 it suffers flood damage.
Uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage protects you if you get hit by someone who does not have enough coverage or you are the victim of a hit and run accident.
The more coverage you have the more your insurance premiums will be, depending on the deductibles you choose. But it may be in your best interest to pay the money now even though you may not need it rather than not have coverage if you do need it.
