Uninsured Motorist Coverage
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North Carolina law requires that all vehicles licensed in North Carolina carry liability insurance in an amount no less than $30,000. This mandatory liability insurance is for the purpose of protecting anyone injured by the negligence of the driver of the insured vehicle.
Although this liability insurance is required by law, a surprising number of vehicles do not have liability insurance coverage. If you are injured by a driver of such an uninsured vehicle, you will have to look to the drivers’ own personal assets to reimburse you for the loss caused by the negligent driver.
If a person is driving a car without liability insurance, chances are they will not have the assets necessary to satisfy your claim for personal injuries or property damage. It is for that reason that you should have uninsured motorist coverage to protect you and your family.
Uninsured motorist coverage is contained in the liability insurance policy which protects others against loss caused by the negligent driver of a motor vehicle. However, instead of protecting the public, uninsured motorist coverage protects the owner or occupant of the insured vehicle.
Uninsured motorist coverage provides that if the owner or occupant of the insured vehicle is injured by the negligence of another driver who does not have liability insurance coverage, the uninsured motorist coverage will “kick-in” and provide the coverage in place of the non-existent coverage which the other vehicle should have had.
All liability insurance policies in North Carolina are required to have uninsured motorist coverage unless the owner of the car specifically elects not to have this coverage. This election has to be in writing on an approved form. Otherwise, uninsured motorist coverage exists automatically.
The minimum amount of uninsured motorist coverage is $30,000 per person or $60,000 per occurrence. However, these limits are very low and are not sufficient to protect you and the occupants of your car.
Therefore, you should purchase uninsured motorist coverage with the highest limits that you can afford. A million dollar uninsured motorist provision does not cost as much as you may think. The protection and piece of mind a high limits uninsured policy gives is well worth the premium.
With out substantial uninsured motorist protection you may be left “holding the bag” in the event you or your family is injured by a negligent driver who is not covered by liability insurance.