In Arizona the law requires that every car owner have insurance. However, what Arizona law requires and what most drivers have will not fully protect you.

Next time you’re driving take a look around at all the risk taking and crazy drivers. Most of them have way too little insurance or no insurance at all, in violation of State law. If you are injured by a careless, negligent, at-fault driver who only has the State required minimum liability insurance then you are in trouble if you are badly injured. Because, no matter how seriously you are injured the most you can get is $15,000 – the State required minimum liability limits. So, even if you lose both your legs or get paralyzed you will never receive any more than $15,000 if the only thing available is the other driver’s minimum liability coverage.

Even worse are those cases where the at-fault, negligent driver buys the State’s minimum coverage, goes on a monthly payment plan (just to get license plates) and then stops paying his monthly insurance bill. He keeps his plates but his insurance is cancelled. If this driver hits you then you get no insurance money. In that case his coverage is cancelled and he is driving around with no insurance.

Insurance companies like to sell minimum policies. But you the customer will find that higher and better coverages hardly cost much more than a minimum limit policy. Looking at the playing field from the insurance company’s side they know that no matter what happens they will never have to pay more than $15,000 even if one of their insured drivers kills another innocent driver. If that happens then the insurance company writes a check for $15,000 and just walks away. In those cases the family of a deceased or the severely injured driver is stuck unless they buy better coverage for themselves

 

WHAT IS BETTER COVERAGE?

To protect yourself from the careless, reckless driver who might have either minimum coverage or no coverage at all you must purchase Uninsured (“UM”) coverage or Underinsured (“UIM”) coverage. Here’s how it works:

• tell your agent or insurance company that you want UM or UIM coverage and that you want these coverages in the highest limits you can afford: $25,000, 50,000, 100,000, 250,000 or 500,000.
• your agent will have these coverages so that you and your family will be protected from the uniderinsured or uninsured driver.
• To obtain these coverages you will be required to obtain Liability coverage in the same amount as the UM and UIM coverages you seek. Be sure to get all three coverages and in the highest amount. You will find it won’t be a lot more expensive than buying the lower or minimum coverages.

 

MED PAY – Make Sure You Get It!

If you are injured in a motor vehicle collision you will obviously have medical bills. In Arizona the at-fault driver’s insurance company is required to pay your reasonable medical bills. But, in most instances, you will have to pay your doctor back out of your settlement or award. However, if you purchase “Medical Payments Coverage” (“Med Pay”) from your own insurance company then you very well can make a double recovery – once from the at-fault driver’s insurance and once from your own. So, if you have Med Pay in limits of $5,000 and your medical bills total $5,000 then once you make a recovery you can pay your doctor’s bill from the settlement or award and then you get to “pocket” the additional $5,000 from your own insurance company’s Med Pay coverage.

Med Pay coverage can generally be bought in amounts of $1,000, 2,000, 5,000 or 10,000. And, it is very inexpensive. If you have it you can receive a double recovery on your medical bills. So, don’t pass on this coverage. If you do have an accident and you start racking up medical bills then come the end of your case you will thank yourself and so will your family members thank you if they have been injured and you were smart enough to buy Med Pay. For these reasons you should never forget to have your insurance company or agent sell you Med Pay.

 

As always, if you have any questions on these matters you should call us at 602-254-7740