The problem with low coverage car insurance policies

The cost of car insurance every month can sometimes come close to actual vehicle payments on leased or financed vehicles. Quite a few people will try to limit what they pay for insurance without stopping to think about the implications of doing so.

The less insurance you have, the more liability there is for you if there’s a crash. Under Virginia law, the person responsible for the crash is the one whose insurance policy pays for the damages that result. When someone else crashes into you, if both they and you have the lowest coverage available, that could be financially disastrous.

The other person’s policy may not be enough

Virginia state law only mandates $25,000 worth of liability coverage if someone causes injury to another person in the crash. If there are two or more people who get hurt, that amount only goes up to $50,000.

A single surgery or a few days overnight in the hospital could consume the entire amount of coverage, leaving you with tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills, to say nothing of your lost wages.

Carrying the lowest coverage leaves you vulnerable too

While insurance typically protects you from liability, you can add to your policy so that you have protection from drivers without enough coverage. When you buy the minimal amount of protection allowed under state law, you may not have adequate uninsured or underinsured driver coverage. These important forms of protection will cover your costs when another driver doesn’t have insurance, or has less coverage than you.

Reviewing your insurance can help protect you before a crash. A lawyer can also help you after a crash by letting you know what alternate options you have for compensation, such as the possibility of a personal injury lawsuit.