Texas law mandates drivers to purchase auto insurance to cover personal damages and injured parties. However, reports have shown that up to fifteen percent of Texas drivers fail to buy car insurance. Due to this fact, there is a growing need for uninsured motorist insurance.
This insurance policy covers damages done to you by a driver who is incapable of paying for your medical expenses or car repairs. It is also helpful during a hit and run incident when there’s no one to hold responsible for the damages. Texas Auto Accident Uninsured also covers damages done to third party persons who were in the driver’s or passenger’s seat of the vehicle at the time of the occurrence.
Insurance companies are mandated to offer this policy to clients when they’re purchasing liability for automobiles. If the client refuses, the insurer will require him to sign a written rejection, which will be tendered as evidence against the client if he claims otherwise.
Another auto insurance policy similar to uninsured insurance is underinsured coverage. Underinsured motorist insurance is when the motorist that hits you has coverage but insufficient limits to cover the full cost of damages done to you or your vehicle. In this case, the at-fault driver will pay up to the limit of his coverage, and the underinsured motorist coverage will provide for the rest of the cost.
There is no refuting the fact that both coverages are smart and financially savvy investments for Texas drivers. However, there are some rules and requirements that determine whether the coverage will take effect or not.
The Covered Person
It is important to know what is meant by ‘covered person’ under the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages in Texas. The covered person(s) includes you or any family member (restricted to immediate family members by some courts) or those living in the same house with you but aren’t blood relatives. It also includes any other person behind the wheel of your vehicle during the time of the collision.
Physical Contact
There must be physical contact between your automobile and the at-fault driver’s vehicle for you to qualify to receive uninsured motorist insurance. When you hit a roadside tree, pole, or building to avoid collision with the oncoming vehicle, you cannot claim this coverage because you cannot get the identity of the at-fault party.
Burden of Proof
If the question arises whether the injured driver purchased uninsured motorist coverage or not, the burden of proof lies on the insurance company to show that the client failed to buy coverage. Where the insurer fails to tender evidence, usually in form of a written rejection by their client, they will be mandated to provide uninsured motorist coverage for the driver and his vehicle.
Uninsured motorist coverage includes property damage or bodily injury. The minimum liability insurance required by Texas is $30,000 for bodily injury liability per person, $60,000 for bodily injury liability per accident, and $25,000 for property damage liability.
This coverage limit helps cover the cost of damages done to another’s vehicle. You should also be entitled to compensation when it’s the other driver that causes an accident. While uninsured motorist coverage isn’t an obligation, purchasing it helps to save you from unexpected costs of damages caused by an incompetent and uninsured motorist.
For assistance with your car insurance needs, contact the experts at Pierce Insurance Group. We look forward to answering all your insurance questions and helping you get the right coverage.