Coverage Types Included In Car Insurance Policies

By Author: Norris Rios
Total Articles: 572
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You probably know that your car insurance policy is comprised of different coverage types that each protects you against certain situations you may encounter. And knowing them and their purpose will help you tailor your policy for the best coverage and reasonable price. So before you choose to modify your coverage amounts, make sure you know the essence of the following coverage types:

Bodily injury liability. This type of coverage pays for injuries, harm or death of others caused by you while you were behind the wheel of the car included in the policy. It will also cover for your legal expenses if the other driver involved in the accident will sue you. However, this type of coverage doesn't protect you or other people in your policy, nor it covers the damage to your vehicle. That's why it makes sense to have a high enough amount of it in order to make sure your assets are protected in case the other party files a suit against you for injury, loss of income or pain.

Comprehensive. This type of insurance pays for the damage of your vehicle resulted from causes other than collision. For example, this type of coverage ...
... will kick in if your car gets stolen, damaged by a fallen tree, storm or flood. It will also pay for repairing your vehicle in full amount minus the deductible that you are free to choose when signing your policy. Deductible is the amount of money you are willing to pay from your pocket before getting actually covered. And the higher is your deductible the lower will be your rates.

Collision. As the name suggests, this type of coverage kicks in when your car gets into collision with another vehicle or an object (fence, pole, sign, etc,). It will pay for the repair, minus the deductible. The rule of deductible applies just as with Comprehensive coverage. And because the amount of this coverage is typically defined by the cash value of your car, older vehicles usually have no sense of carrying such coverage.

Medical Payments. This type of insurance will pay for the medical bills due to injuries delivered to you or your passengers in the course of an accident. Some companies will also cover you if you get injured as a pedestrian outside of your car. And it doesn't take into account who was at fault in the accident.

Uninsured Motorist. This type of insurance will pay for bodily injury delivered to you or your passengers during an accident with a driver who has no or not sufficient insurance coverage. In some areas, this type of insurance coverage will also pay for the damage to your vehicle. Make sure to get it when looking for auto insurance quotes, because there is a fairly large number of uninsured drivers out there.

Personal Injury. This type of coverage is available only in a number of states and will pay for the medical or funeral costs of the policyholder, the passengers or pedestrians involved in the accident with no regard to the fault of the parties.

Property Damage Liability. This type of coverage will pay for the damage delivered to other party's property, which is usually the car, but can also be part of infrastructure (fence, house, pole, etc.) It will also cover you if the other party sues you because of the damage delivered, so it makes sense to get enough of it when looking for auto insurance quotes in the first place.