You know that your child is as safe as he or she can be in the backseat of your car. But, at some point, your child will need to ride with someone else. While you can choose who your child rides with and take as many other precautions as possible, like installing your child’s car seat in their car yourself, there are some risks you simply cannot control. Is your current coverage sufficient?
If your child was injured as a result of driver negligence, your family’s financial recovery will most likely come from the at-fault driver’s auto insurance company. Except in the limited number of states with “no-fault” insurance laws (which limit the circumstances in which accident victims and their families can seek compensation outside of Personal Injury Protection (PIP)). The general rule is that auto insurance carriers are fully liable for victims’ injuries up to the at-fault driver’s policy limit.
In some cases, parents will have a difficult question to answer: What are my options if the at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured? Unfortunately, despite legal requirements to carry auto insurance, some drivers do not have coverage, and the mandatory coverage levels are typically far less than the amount that will be required to provide full compensation for a traumatic childhood injury.
Due to these concerns, it is a good idea for all parents to carry uninsured/underinsured (UIM) auto insurance coverage. As its name suggests, UIM insurance provides coverage in situations where full compensation is not available through the at-fault driver’s insurance policy. It is critical to determine both how much coverage is available and how much you need to cover your family’s expenses and provide for your child’s needs. If you have concerns about your coverage, contact us today.