car insurance liability only
The car insurance definition is really a contract between an insurer and a consumer which shields the latter from financial liabilities in case of a vehicle accident or even theft. But why is car insurance needed? A bare bones car insurance liability only coverage is needed for all drivers in almost all states to safeguard other motor vehicles on public roads. The coverage provided by minimum liability auto insurance varies from state to state, so it's best to check with the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) before purchasing coverage.
But what if you are determined
to drive anyway and in the event of an accident you don't have auto insurance
coverage available? Can you be sued for injuries or damage done to you or your
vehicle? In order to answer these questions one needs to understand how much
car insurance coverage is actually required. An answer may surprise you. It
depends largely on whose fault the accident was.
Minimum coverage is defined as
the amount of money paid for property and bodily injury resulting from an
automobile accident. For example, if you hit a deer in the middle of the day on
a busy road, chances are you will not have much in the way of medical bills,
but you may end up having to pay for at least part of her medical expenses.
Minimum coverage is the bare minimum that every state requires drivers to
carry. While not required, it's helpful to have as much of this type of auto
insurance as possible to keep you covered in case of an unfortunate accident.
The level of your car
insurance policy coverage also depends on your driving history. If you've never
had any traffic violations or accidents, you can expect minimum coverage to
cover all damage to your vehicle. If you've had at least one prior moving
violation you may be required to purchase more coverage, particularly collision
coverage. If you're a teen driver with no driving history, the best option is
usually to purchase an auto insurance policy that offers no coverage
whatsoever.
The amount of your deductible
is another factor that is considered when determining your car insurance
premium. This deductible is the amount you have to pay out of pocket in the
event you have to make a claim. Raising your deductible will help to lower your
monthly premium. You will have to pay this amount before your insurance company
will take possession of your vehicle. To do this you must put a down payment
equal to the cost of your auto insurance policy on a new vehicle.
As we stated above, bodily
injury liability covers only property damage. Bodily injury liability insurance
is often required by states in order to drive a car on the state's roads. For
example, if you were to hit a fence or a cow or deer in their yard, you would
likely need to purchase bodily injury liability coverage. While this policy
won't cover any damage to your car, it could cover the medical bills of those
who were injured.
Property damage liability
coverage is designed to cover the repair costs for damage to another person's
vehicle as a result of your car accident. It doesn't cover you against any
physical injuries you cause to other people, animals or items in your car. The
minimum amount of coverage you'll need is twenty-five dollars per day for
bodily injury and property damage liability coverage. If you only have
thirty-five dollars per day for coverage, you could possibly get away with only
having property damage liability coverage.
There are many different types
of policies available, but you're probably still wondering about the difference
between bodily injury protection and property damage liability coverage. Bodily
injury protection will help protect you from paying for medical bills, but
property damage liability coverage will protect you from being responsible for
replacing your car or having to pay someone else for their damages.