The insurance system in North Carolina is relatively straightforward. Drivers purchase liability coverage that protects them from having financial responsibility for a crash.
You probably already understand that if you make a mistake at the wheel and hurt someone else, your insurance policy will protect you by reimbursing them. If you get into a crash caused by another driver, then logically you will depend on the insurance that they carry to repair your vehicle, replace your wages and pay your hospital bills.
Some drivers will eventually realize that there isn’t going to be enough coverage to pay all of their bills. In that unfortunate scenario, you might be able to turn to your own insurance policy.
When will your policy help?
Liability coverage won’t do much to help you if the other driver is to blame for the crash. However, you have the option of paying for additional insurance on your own policy which could help in this situation.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist protection can prove invaluable after a major motor vehicle collision. If you have the bad luck to encounter a driver without insurance, your policy could cover everything that theirs should but won’t. Of course, you could just as easily cross paths with someone who only has the minimum insurance required by state law.
If $30,000 worth of bodily injury coverage won’t be enough for your bills, then your own underinsured motorist protection could help. Drivers could also potentially make a claim against collision coverage if they added such protection to their policy.
Using your own coverage can be a simple solution
Reviewing your insurance policy and adding extra coverage could protect you if you do get into a major crash later. If you were to try to take another driver to civil court or file a third-party liability claim against a business, it could take a year or longer to get compensation. Your insurance company will likely help you much more quickly.
Of course, it can be difficult to negotiate a large claim with your insurance provider, and you need to take care to make certain that you get the coverage you deserve based on the premiums you have paid. Knowing when to make use of your own insurance can help you defray the costs of a recent car crash.
