To most people in North Carolina the goal when purchasing car insurance is to save as much money as possible. It is only when a person has been in an automobile accident that they become concerned with the actual terms of their insurance policy. If you are at fault in the car accident, you could be liable to the other driver if your insurance cannot fully cover their claim. If you are not at fault and you are injured in the accident, the at-fault driver may not have the insurance coverage necessary to pay your claim.
In North Carolina every driver is required to have $30,000.00 of liability coverage per person $60,000.00 per accident. ( N.C.G.S. ยง 20-279.21) This liability coverage does not cover you but rather covers the injuries of the other party if you are at fault in an accident. While these same limits have applied since 1999, medical costs and other measures of damages have increased dramatically. Depending on your personal assets, a higher amount of liability coverage may be recommended.
As stated above, liability coverage does not pay you if you are injured. Since many drivers have the minimum limits coverage described above or no insurance at all, you may want to purchase Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM) and Under Insured Motorist Coverage (UIM). Under Insured Motorist Coverage (UIM) protects you if the at-fault driver does not have enough insurance coverage to pay your claim. Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM) can be purchased to protect you if the at fault driver has no insurance at all.
Adding UM and UIM coverage should not be very costly and may be very important in the event you actually have an insurance claim. If you would like to discuss your insurance policy with a lawyer please feel free to contact the law offices of Hull & Chandler, P.A.
