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Make Sure to Check Your Auto Insurance Policies

December 2007

By Judge Jeff Cox

When selecting an insurance policy, you should select as high a liability and property damage coverage as you can afford. Liability coverage is secured in order to protect you in case you cause the accident. Medical bills have gone through the roof in recent years. Injuries to motorists hurt in automobile accidents cost more to repair. A person who is at fault in an automobile accident is not only responsible for medical expenses and property damages, but also is responsible for lost wages of the person injured and for the injured party’s pain and suffering. If your policy is too low in coverage and does not cover all the medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, or property damage of the injured person, the person who caused the accident can be held responsible for the excess amount over the coverage of the insurance. This means the injured party can sue the person who caused the accident for any amount not covered by insurance and can recover personal assets such as bank accounts, property, stocks, bonds, home, and any other assets available to be recovered.

In addition to liability insurance, a person must consider whether or not to buy uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage protects you if someone else causes an accident and they do not have enough insurance coverage. If a person hits you and they do not have enough insurance to cover your injuries, your insurance company, if you have elected uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, will cover the excess costs and sue the other person for the damages they, as the insurance company, had to pay. If you elect regular uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, this will cover your medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and all injuries connected with the accident. If you elect just economic only uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, then only lost wages and economic damages will be covered. No injury coverage is provided by this type of insurance. If you are retired, then economic only uninsured/underinsured insurance coverage may not make sense for you.

The bottom line to this article is to check your automobile insurance policies. Make sure that you are adequately covered for the injuries you may cause or that may be caused to you.

Jeff Cox is the 26th Judicial District Court Judge for Bossier/Webster Parishes, Division C.