Injury Attorneys Home > Free Legal Tips > How to Buy Auto Insurance in Pennsylvania > Part 3

HOW TO BUY AUTO INSURANCE IN PENNSYLVANIA - PART 3

by Jeffrey P. Lowenthal

Part 3: Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Protection

What is Uninsured Motorist Protection?

Pennsylvania law allows you to select protection on your own policy if you are struck by someone who has no insurance. This is called UM or Uninsured Motorist coverage. You can select as much UM coverage for yourself as you have selected in coverage for someone that you may injure.

For example, if you select $100,000 in liability coverage (you injuring someone else) you may select up to $100,000 in UM coverage (for yourself).

This coverage is quite reasonable in price and we recommend you select as much as you can (up to your liability coverage amount).

What is Stacking?

If you own more than one vehicle or live in a household with close family members who also have insured vehicles you may "stack," or add together, all the UM coverages on all the policies in the household, so long as you have chosen to "stack" your Uninsured Motorist coverages. This option of "stacking" is very reasonable and should be selected and not waived or reduced from the highest levels.

What is Underinsured Motorist Protection?

Underinsured Motorist Protection, or UIM, is essentially the same as Uninsured Motorist coverage, but applies when you are injured by a motorist whose coverage is too low to compensate you fully. An underinsured motorist causing the injury has some insurance (unlike the uninsured motorist) but it is not enough to pay the full value of the injury he or she has caused.

For example, if your injury is valued at $100,000 but the motorist who caused the injury only has $15,000 in coverage for you, that motorist is underinsured. After receiving the $15,000 from his or her insurance company you can go to your own insurance company to recover the difference between the $100,000 injury and the $15,000 already received by you (if you have sufficient Underinsured Motorist coverage).

This coverage is likewise very inexpensive and "stacking" applies just as to Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage.

However, if you have selected "Limited Tort" (explained in Part 2) your Uninsured and / or Underinsured Motorist coverage will not help you unless you have a very serious injury or in very limited circumstances.

We therefore recommend both "Full Tort" and Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist coverages, as they are essential for you to be properly protected.

Have you been injured in an auto accident? Contact our Pennsylvania Auto Accident Attorneys and we will advise you of your rights and legal options.