California legally requires drivers to have car insurance before registering a vehicle. Although you may practice safe driving, you cannot account for everyone else on the road. No one is invincible and accidents and damages can be very costly.
It is important to make sure you have adequate coverage that not only fits your lifestyle, but also your wallet. Having the right coverage enables you to drive confidently on the roads knowing that you are protected.
Auto Insurance
Auto insurance can cover the injuries, medical expenses, and damage to vehicles that occur as a result of an accident or other incident. In many states, you are obligated to carry a minimum amount of auto insurance in order to drive your vehicle on public roads. Depending on your state, your bare bones minimum auto insurance will provide liability coverage for damage to property and injury for one or more persons.
However, most drivers find the minimum required insurance coverage isn’t enough to cover all of the costs associated with an average accident, and choose to carry more to protect their personal assets.
There are a wide variety of auto coverages available, so you can choose the coverage and rates that are best for you and your vehicles.
What Does Auto Insurance Cover?
Your auto insurance policy may include some or more of the following:
Bodily Injury
Liability Coverage for injuries you cause to someone else. Your state may have minimum required coverage amounts, but you may choose to carry higher limits in order to protect your assets from claims exceeding that amount.
Medical Payments
Medical payment coverage, also known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP) covers your injuries, as well as injuries to passengers riding in your car. This coverage often also covers lost wages and even funeral expenses in the event of a worst-case scenario.
Collision Coverage
Coverage for damage to your own vehicle in the event of a collision with an object or other car, from flipping over, and even damage caused by potholes. Collision coverage can reimburse you for repairs to your own vehicle, even if you’re at fault for an accident.
Comprehensive Coverage
Coverage which reimburses you for a loss due to theft or damage not caused by a collision, such as fire, falling objects, floods, riots, and even impacting with animals such as deer. Comprehensive coverage often includes coverage for cracked or shattered windshields, as well.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Not everyone will carry adequate insurance coverage to fully cover your total loss. If you’re involved in an auto accident where the person at fault has no or insufficient insurance, this coverage will reimburse you for your loss. This coverage can also protect you against hit-and-run drivers, and even cover you if you are hit as a pedestrian.
Auto insurance does more than protect your vehicles from accidents which happen every minute of the day; it also protects you and your passengers from the truly unexpected.