Reader question:
What is liability coverage?
Gloria
Great question.
Most states require that drivers car some type of insurance with them. They must be insured with a car insurance company that is licensed by the state, must have the amount of insurance required by the state, and must carry proof of insurance with them when they drive. All but three states share this requirement of insuring your car, and those that do require it vary widely. Some require that a vehicle be insured whether it is used or not, and others have different ways of reporting lack of insurance. Where most of them agree, though, is that the minimum requirement must include liability coverage.
Liability coverage is generally divided into parts, those parts being medical and property damage, and you are required to have a certain dollar amount of insurance for each of these parts. The basic coverage is what will kick in if you get into a car accident and are at fault, so that this coverage provides for the repairs and medical bills of the other driver.
It’s also true that, if you have collision or comprehensive insurance and it runs out, your liability will kick in to cover the rest that your other coverages didn’t provide for. This can be very helpful, especially considering that even the smallest kind of aid at a hospital can cost hundreds of dollars, getting a serious injury can stack you with medical bills that might overwhelm your normal insurance policy.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.