When you sign up for automobile insurance, you have the option of purchasing uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist insurance in addition to your liability coverage. Uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance is insurance that you purchase that steps in to cover you when another driver is not insured or does not have enough insurance to cover your damages.
In fact, in Louisiana, you have to specifically reject this type of coverage if you do not want to purchase it. While it may seem tempting to save money every month by declining this coverage, you may want to think twice.
In Louisiana, it is required under the law to have $15,000/30,000 of automobile insurance on a personal vehicle. Despite this requirement, it is estimated that 13 percent of drivers in Louisiana are not insured at all and an astounding number carry only the minimum amount of insurance on their vehicle. That is, if you are involved in an accident it is highly likely that the other driver is insured with only $15,000 of coverage if at all, which is not enough to cover even minor injuries in some cases. Too many times, we have had to break the news to seriously injured clients that the driver that injured them did not have enough insurance to compensate them for their injuries. Accordingly, securing uninsured motorist insurance can help you to protect you in these situations.
Call your insurance agent today to assess whether you are protecting yourself and your family adequately.
Megan C. Kiefer is a partner and trial attorney at Kiefer & Kiefer, who specializes in personal injury litigation.
This is being provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.
