What is underinsured (UIM) and uninsured (UM) motorist insurance coverage?

You or your loved ones have been badly injured in a crash only to learn that the driver that hurt you has no insurance or only a minimum liability policy. Some folks care only about their policy premium and not if they hurt someone. What protects you? This is where UM and UIM comes in. UM protects you if you are hit by an irresponsible driver without insurance or if you are involved in a hit-and-run.

UIM coverage protects you and your family when you are injured and the careless or reckless driver doesn’t have enough liability or BI insurance to pay for the harm. If you have UIM coverage in the amount of $250,000 and the wrongdoer has a minimum $25,000 policy, their policy would pay for the first $25,000 and then your policy would kick in to pay the next $250,000 for a total available coverage of $275,000.

Adequate UM/UIM coverage will pay for your pain and suffering, medical bills, past and future lost wages, scarring, disfigurement, impairment and any other appropriate out of pocket losses. Consider if you needed a neck or back surgery and missed six weeks of work what this would mean for you and your family. Your losses could easily exceed $100,000. UM/UIM coverage is surprisingly inexpensive and you should get as much as you can afford. Most insurance agents do a terrible job of selling appropriate levels of coverage. Call and discuss this with your agent and if they downplay the significance of this coverage – find another agent.