Legal Matters
Take a moment to review the types of auto insurance coverage offered by auto insurance companies in Alabama and assess whether you have what you need to protect yourself and your family.
Liability Insurance Coverage. Alabama law, under The Mandatory Liability Insurance law, requires vehicle owners to maintain a minimum of liability insurance on their vehicle with the following minimum policy limit amounts of auto insurance: $25,000.00 of Bodily Injury Coverage: per person injured in a motor vehicle collision that you cause; $50,000.00 of Total Bodily Injury Coverage: when two or more people are injured in a motor vehicle collision you cause, regardless of the total amount of people in the vehicle; and $25,000.00 for property damage: per motor vehicle collision you cause. The basic minimum auto insurance coverage set out above pays the medical bills, property damage bills, and other costs of drivers, passengers and pedestrians who are injured or have their vehicle damaged in motor vehicle collision that you have caused, up to the amount of the policy limits.
Uninsured/Underinsured (UM/UIM) Insurance Coverage: This coverage is optional and requires a separate premium under your own auto insurance policy. In Alabama, this uninsured/underinsured insurance coverage is automatically applied to your auto insurance policy when you purchase your insurance, unless you specifically reject it in writing with your signature. This is a contract between you and your own auto insurance company to provide insurance that pays for you or your passengers’ bodily injuries and damages when another driver causes an accident and does not have any liability insurance or carries insufficient insurance coverage to totally pay for the loss, including your or your passengers’ damages, medical bills and injuries.
Medical Payment(MedPay)Insurance Coverage: MedPay covers you, your passengers and any pedestrians injured in a motor vehicle collision involving your vehicle regardless of fault. MedPay can usually be purchased with your auto insurance policy with policy limits of $1,000 per person and up.
Collision Insurance Coverage: This coverage pays for damage from a motor vehicle collision to a covered vehicle regardless of who caused the wreck. The auto insurance company that insures the damaged vehicle must pay for the repair up to the actual value of the vehicle, minus the deductible.
Comprehensive Insurance Coverage: This covers the insured vehicle for physical damage other than motor vehicle collision damage. It pays for damage to or loss of your vehicle from causes other than motor vehicle collisions such as hail, vandalism, flood, fire and theft.
When shopping for auto insurance, it is important to know these different types of insurance coverage are available and why they are important. If you are shopping for policies with different auto insurance companies, be sure to compare “ apples to apples.” The policy limits for your auto insurance coverage are listed on the “Declarations Page” of your auto insurance policy. Having this information available will give you an opportunity to make an informed and wise decision.
-Frank S. Buck, P.C., Attorneys at Law have been offering professional legal services and serving Alabama citizens for over 48 years. We have experienced trial attorneys who have over 100 years of combined trial experience. You can reach us 24 hours a day at (205) 933-7533. Please call us for a free consultation. Visit us at www.franksbuckpc.com.
