MC Insurance - Are You Really Fully Covered? (what you may not know)

[Journeyman]

Are you insured for bodily injury if hit by an uninsured motorist? I definitely thought I was all these years with Progressive, but when I changed my homeowners and auto insurance to another carrier my new agent informed me that I did not have that coverage with Progressive.

I seriously doubted what my agent was saying until I called Progressive to make sure and they confirmed it. I called them twice- once to ask that question and then again to tell them to cancel my policy. Both times they confirmed my policy did not cover my bodily injury for an uninsured motorist. WTF?

I suggest you call your company today and ask. I thought the line on my statement for Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist was just that, but apparently that does not cover my own skin and bones!

Better ask - don't assume like I did.....

 

[triplespeed]

Thanks for bringing this up! I just checked my policy (Progressive) and I have Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury and Property Damage coverage. I have not contacted Progressive to confirm, but the definitions on their website seem to suggest that UM/UIM coverage does protect you (the policyholder) when injured or worse by an at-fault Uninsured/Underinsured driver. I will contact Progressive next week to confirm my understanding since there are way too many uninsured and underinsured drivers in my area. Here are the Progressive policy definitions, and the term "usually" is concerning:

Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM)
If someone else is legally liable for an accident and doesn't have insurance, you can usually use UM coverage to pay for injuries (including death) sustained by you, your resident relatives and other occupants of the insured vehicle. The coverage pays up to the limits that you select.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM)
If someone else is legally liable for an accident and doesn't have enough insurance, you can usually use UIM coverage to pay for injuries (including death) sustained by you, your resident relatives and other occupants of the insured vehicle. The coverage pays up to the limits that you select.

 

[Journeyman]

Thanks for bringing this up! I just checked my policy (Progressive) and I have Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury and Property Damage coverage. I have not contacted Progressive to confirm, but the definitions on their website seem to suggest that UM/UIM coverage does protect you (the policyholder) when injured or worse by an at-fault Uninsured/Underinsured driver. I will contact Progressive next week to confirm my understanding since there are way too many uninsured and underinsured drivers in my area. Here are the Progressive policy definitions, and the term "usually" is concerning:

Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM)
If someone else is legally liable for an accident and doesn't have insurance, you can usually use UM coverage to pay for injuries (including death) sustained by you, your resident relatives and other occupants of the insured vehicle. The coverage pays up to the limits that you select.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM)
If someone else is legally liable for an accident and doesn't have enough insurance, you can usually use UIM coverage to pay for injuries (including death) sustained by you, your resident relatives and other occupants of the insured vehicle. The coverage pays up to the limits that you select.

Let me know what you find out. That was my interpretation of it too, but three times (new agent, twice at Progressive) they said that, no, I don't have coverage for bodily injury from an uninsured motorist. I'm not going to switch back now, but if you find out I'm wrong I'll update this post. Thanks

 

[triplespeed]

I just reviewed my 64-page Progressive policy, and I'm feeling better about things now:

There are exclusions (of course) indicating that UM/UIM bodily injury coverage will not apply to you under certain circumstances, e.g. you are being paid to carry another rider (Uber Bikes ), performing a delivery service, racing, stunting, etc.

I'd like to mention that I elected the MAX Liability and UM/UIM coverage offered by Progressive in my state: $500,000 combined single limit coverage. It's not very expensive -- even in NJ where we have some of the highest insurance premiums in the country -- and it provides some peace-of-mind in our litigious society.

My coverage election was motivated by an attorney specializing in motorcycle claims who provided an insurance briefing in our state during an MSF seminar a few years ago. His "scared straight" message was that there are WAY too many Uninsured/Underinsured drivers in the cases he represented for his motorcycle clients. I recall him stating that NJ drivers could obtain a "minimum policy" for like $30 per month, and that those policies (for those who even had them) provide only $15K of bodily injury liability coverage and $5K for property damage liability for a covered accident.

If you end-up in the hospital with significant injuries, will $15K cover those medical bills? Doubt it! Definitely get as much UM/UIM coverage as you can afford.