When you are driving on the road, you likely make the assumption that since having car insurance is the law, everyone is carrying it. You would be greatly mistaken. There are times when people take to the road without the proper insurance to cover themselves and others if an accident happens.
Being fully insured isn’t about just having the mandatory minimum insurance. The mandatory minimum in Missouri means that you have to have a policy that will cover any bodily or property damage to another driver, which is called liability insurance. If the a car accident occurs and the driver at fault isn’t carrying the proper insurance, you could be left vulnerable with no recourse.
To be fully insured, it is may be a good idea to talk to your insurance carrier to find out what additional coverage you can add to cover you in extenuating, but potential, accidents. Uninsured and underinsured coverage is something that you might want to add to your policy to make sure you are protected. Just a little extra cost will make sure that if you are hit by someone who doesn’t have the proper insurance, you can still recover your damages.
Uninsured motorist coverage will take over if a motorist isn’t insured when they hit you. Underinsured motorist coverage is an additional policy that will cover you if your damage goes beyond the maximum of the other driver’s policy.
Even if a driver has the mandatory minimum coverage as determined by the state, there is still the possibility that your costs could far outweigh what their maximum is. You only have one recourse if that happens, to engage in a personal injury suit to recover.
That is why taking out both underinsured and uninsured policies are a great way to protect yourself in any situation. They are an important tool to make sure that you have more than the bare minimum, and that if something major goes wrong, you have the insurance to cover yourself.
If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, you might have other options. It is imperative that you consult a St. Louis car accident attorney to help you navigate the legal process and to recover for your loss damages and injuries.
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