The state of West Virginia has mandatory insurance requirements for the licensed drivers in its state. And while there are six major areas of coverage for automobile insurance, not all of them are mandatory.
In the state of West Virginia you must carry the following insurance coverage on your vehicle: bodily injury protection and property damage insurance. Bodily injury liability covers the injuries or death of a person if you are responsible for an accident. And 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.
The minimum amounts are the highest level that your insurance company will pay out for each level of coverage. In West Virginia, you are required to carry bodily injury coverage in the amounts of $20,000/$30,000, which means up to $20,000 to one person in a single accident and $40,000 for one accident with two injuries or death. The property damage coverage minimum requirement is $10,000 and it covers the cost of damage to another person’s property.
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.
Other forms of coverage available include personal injury protection, which covers the medical expenses of you and any family members who were passengers in your vehicle at the time of the accident.
Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage protects you if you get hit by someone who does not have any coverage, enough coverage or if you are the victim of a hit and run accident.
Ask your insurance agent about extras that you may want to include on your policy that may make things easier for you such as gap insurance, fire and theft coverage and pay-per-mile coverage. These are not all available at every insurance company.
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 the coverage if you do need it.
