Underinsured Motorist Insurance

I'm now in my forties, tagged by many as "middle-aged," and I have been asking myself what the most important things in life are. I'm very lucky - my health is good, I have a successful career, financial independence, and a close circle of friends. However, most important is my family. They are more important to me than anything in this world, and I will do anything to protect their futures. That means ensuring that, if some tragedy arises, my family will be well taken care of. Part of taking care of your family is buying underinsured motorist insurance.

According to the law in California, all drivers are required to carry liability insurance in order to drive a motor vehicle. Despite this, many drivers in California still do not carry any insurance at all. If you are involved in an accident and are injured by an uninsured driver, your medical expenses will be covered (up to your policy limits) if you carry an uninsured motorist policy. So, of course, it becomes vital that your insurance covers you for uninsured motorists.

What happens, for instance, when a driver who causes an accident has insurance, but not enough to cover all of your expenses? In such a scenario, underinsured motorist insurance plays an important role in protecting your family.

When the at-fault drivers liability insurance is depleted, underinsured motorist insurance will provide additional coverage for your injuries. (Underinsured motorist coverage is incorporated into your uninsured motorist coverage at no extra cost!) So, in the case of a serious injury involving an underinsured motorist, your own insurance company will pay you for your losses once the at-fault drivers liability insurance is exhausted. There are two catches, though, that are fairly important.

One of the important catches is that a person should have more uninsured motorist coverage than the at-fault driver has liability insurance. For instance, if your uninsured motorist coverage is $20,000 and the at fault driver holds $20,000 of liability insurance, the maximum amount you can receive is $20,000 no matter how severe your injuries are. Bottom line: that wouldnt be enough for effective underinsured motorist coverage. If you carry $100,000 of uninsured motorist coverage and the other driver carries only $20,000, you can receive up to $100,000 in insurance benefits. Buying large quantities of uninsured/underinsured motorist ensures that you are providing for your family with the maximum protection possible.

A second consideration to keep in mind is the fact that most carriers will not permit you to purchase more uninsured motorist coverage than the amount of liability insurance you carry.

Believe it or not, extra premiums for carrying liability insurance and uninsured/underinsured motorist dont increase your costs substantially. The lower policy limit will comprise a majority of your premium. So, the more insurance you purchase, the cheaper it becomes!

Clearly, a generous uninsured/underinsured motorist policy is a vital method used to protect your family. Without it, you have very little protection - it's like taking the roof off your house. And if you think the way I do, you will ensure that your family always has a strong roof overhead.

About The Author Barry Edzant, a California lemon law lawyer, knows the importance of underinsured motorist insurance. People get uninsured motorist protection, but dont realize the price for not having underinsured motorist protection. So he tells his clients to get underinsured motorist coverage before they need a Los Angeles lemon law attorney. For more visit http://www.scvlemonlaw.com and http://www.scvlemonlaw.com/california-dog-bite-attorneys.html