… And Discovering Why You Need to Incorporate Them in Your Auto Policy
From the first time we climb into the driver’s seat armed with a learner’s permit, we are taught the importance of being a “defensive driver.” Even if you’re just running around the corner, keeping your eyes on the road, maintaining a safe distance from other drivers, and staying alert and distraction-free throughout the drive could be the difference between avoiding a collision or potential disaster. Unfortunately, regardless of your own skills as a driver, every time you get behind the wheel, you are at the risk of the negligence of other drivers… in more ways than one. Beyond getting hit by a distracted driver, an inexperienced driver or simply an accident-prone driver, you could be involved in a collision with an uninsured or underinsured driver.
The Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates that 1 in 8 drivers on the road in the U.S. are uninsured. Although Georgia law requires vehicle owners and lessees to maintain liability insurance coverage on vehicles with active registrations, the minimum required is only 25/50/25. What that means is that – at that level – the other driver may only have coverage for $25,000 in bodily injuries for one person, $50,000 in bodily injuries for everyone in the car, and $25,000 in property damage – even if the accident was entirely their fault. Depending on the severity of the accident, they could be woefully underinsured. If you and other passengers in your car are injured and wind up in the hospital, you may have to pay any medical expenses above and beyond the $50,000 that their insurance allows. And if your vehicle winds up in the shop – or is deemed to be a total loss – you may have to cover any repair or replacement costs above the $25,000.
Because there are so many uninsured and underinsured drivers on the road today, The Edmonson Law Firm highly recommends incorporating UM and UIM Insurance into your auto policy to protect yourself. Never heard of them before? We’re happy to decode those acronyms for you…
UM = Uninsured Motorist Coverage
UIM = Underinsured Motorist Coverage
If you are injured in a car accident, seek medical attention as soon as possible. When you are able, call The Edmonson Law Firm at 678-540-1023 to schedule your FREE CONSULTATION with our experienced attorneys. You can rest assured that – as Georgia’s Hometown Law Firm that specializes in Personal Injury Law – we will walk alongside you to ensure that you are given the opportunity to recover as many damages as possible from the other driver. However, we also recommend that you take the role of “defensive driver” to an entirely new level by making sure you have UM/UIM Coverage as part of your auto insurance policy. There, too, we can be of service in making sure that your policy pays all that you are due in the aftermath of any accident. Learn more about our expertise in Personal Injury Law, as well as our other practice areas, including Worker’s Compensation and Social Security Disability, by visiting www.elf-legal.com.