Uninsured Motorist Insurance Coverage: What’s Covered, What’s Excluded?

Due to frequent motor vehicle accidents, it is important to be prepared at all times. One way of protecting yourself is by getting an uninsured motorist (UM) insurance.

The uninsured motorist or UM insurance, which is a requirement for vehicle owners in most states, provides protection to people who have suffered from injuries due to traffic accidents caused by uninsured drivers. Under this type of insurance coverage, victims would receive an amount equivalent to what they would have collected if the driver had been insured.

Generally, the amount of uninsured motorist coverage is established by the state, which is the minimum or state coverage that insurers have to provide. If you want to buy additional coverage, you may purchase up to a specified point known as maximum coverage.

Coverage of property damage is often excluded in policies of uninsured motorist insurance. Damages to your vehicle in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist will probably be paid under another portion of your policy or through out-of-pocket funds.

Virtually all laws concerning uninsured motorists provide coverage for all amounts the owner is entitled to recover. However, these laws do not exactly define what that means.

You are legally entitled to claim damages if you can prove the following:

• The uninsured motorist caused the damages and/or injuries incurred; and
• Damages may be measured and a particular amount of money will fully compensate for your damages

In general, the injuries covered by an uninsured motorist insurance policy are those that resulted from the use, maintenance, or ownership of an uninsured motor vehicle. This means that there should be some kind of link between the injury of the victim and the uninsured vehicle in which it has to be a major cause of the injury.

Some instances that are not covered by uninsured motorist insurance policies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Government vehicles
• Vehicles used for public transport, such as taxis
• Injuries sustained by an individual while driving someone else’s vehicle without any permission (non-permissive user)
• Injuries sustained by an uninsured motorist that occurred in an uninsured vehicle

Almost all laws about uninsured motorists require payment of damages for sickness, bodily injuries, diseases, and even death that resulted from accidents caused by an uninsured motorist. Payments may vary, depending on the state. Some of the recoverable damages may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Medical expenses
• Loss of income
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages (intended to punish the perpetrator for causing the injury)

It is important to have uninsured motorist insurance, as it is likely that you will be involved in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist. For further information regarding this issue, it is advisable that you consult with a personal injury lawyer who has more than enough experience in dealing with uninsured motorist accidents.