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Chapter 6 – Car Accident Insurance in Pennsylvania

As I noted earlier, there are several kinds of coverage you need to consider in determining whether or not you have enough motor vehicle insurance. Liability coverage—the insurance you buy to cover injuries you might cause—is the coverage most people think of when they consider the extent of their coverage.
Liability coverage is very important because you need to have enough insurance to pay for damages you might cause to other people. Pennsylvania requires a minimum of $15,000 in liability coverage. However, this amount is generally considered to be grossly inadequate to cover an accident, should you be at fault. You can obtain coverage for a million dollars or more if needed to protect your family and your lifestyle. You want enough coverage to protect yourself and your assets should you cause an accident. This amount should be determined based on your asset situation and your lifestyle.
Aside from liability coverage, there are many other coverages offered through your auto insurance policy. It’s my belief that most of the other coverages offered in your automobile insurance are more important to you than the liability coverage because the other available coverages are protections you choose for yourself and are protections for which you can often set the limits. Remember why you buy insurance: you buy insurance to protect yourself, not to
protect other people.
At your option, you can get coverage to pay for property damage to your vehicle regardless of fault and you can get coverage for a rental car while your car is being repaired after an accident. Insurance companies are required to give you at least $5,000 in medical coverage, with the option to buy more. You can also buy wage loss coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, and underinsured motorist coverage.
All these coverages provide a means to protect yourself in the event of an accident, and all of them represent protections that you can choose for yourself. For the most part, they are also protections for which you choose the limits of coverage. Each of these coverages will have a particular significance to you should you be injured in an automobile accident, and all of them are important to consider in determining whether or not you are adequately insured. In the next chapter I will address the other coverages and discuss their importance.