Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Underinsurance coverage

I've been reviewing my auto coverage policy to make sure that I have the proper coverages for my family's circumstances. I've been looking specifically at underinsured coverage. Underinsurance coverage is when your own insurer pays your loss if you are injured due to the negligence of another driver who has insufficient insurance to cover your damages.

Underinsurance pays only if your underinsurance limit is higher than the limit of the other driver's liability coverage. So if you have $50,000 underinsurance coverage, the other driver has $100,000 liability coverage, and your damages are $120,000, your underinsurance will not kick in.

Even if your underisinsurance limit is higher than the other driver's liability limit, underinsurance will only pay the difference between the two limits. If you have $50,000 in underinsurance coverage, the other driver has a $20,000 liability limit, and your damages are $90,000, you will receive $20,000 from the other driver's policy and $30,000 from your own policy.

No comments: