News-Press
Why You May Need "UM Coverage" On Your Automobile Policy
Adequate UM coverage is often overlooked when you are purchasing or renewing your automobile coverage. What is UM Coverage? UM stands for both "underinsured motorist" and "uninsured motorist" and means that your insurance will cover you for damages (for instance, "pain and suffering") when you are injured as result of an automobile collision. This is completely different from Bodily Injury or "BI Coverage" which protects someone other than you for injuries suffered in a collision. More specifically, UM Coverage would generally protect you and cover you when the other driver does not even have insurance to cover your injuries (the "uninsured motorist" situation) or where the other driver has insurance to cover your injuries but that coverage is just not enough to truly compensate you for your loss (the "underinsured motorist" situation). People usually find that they do not have this coverage or do not have enough of this coverage when it is too late; that is, after they have suffered injury as result of the recklessness and carelessness of another driver. When you are involved in an automobile collision that causes you injury and find out that you do not have UM Coverage or do not have enough UM Coverage (i.e., only 10,000), it is too late for you to go back and change your policy to provide you more coverage for that collision. So, be careful when you purchase or renew your automobile insurance. It may be that the UM Coverage option was never discussed with you by your agent or that you quickly decided not to purchase it to keep your premiums down. Also, be aware that when someone tells you that you have "full coverage", it may not really mean that you have UM Coverage. Know your policy and protect yourself.