What Are the Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in Maryland?

The minimum car insurance requirement in Maryland is $30,000 for bodily injury for one person, $60,000 for bodily injury for two people or more and $50,000 for property damage.

Are Most People Generally Underinsured in Maryland?

Generally a number of people are underinsured because they misunderstand the insurance they are buying. Often people think, “Well, I purchased the full coverage so I should be alright.” However, what they think they bought and what they actually bought are two different things. When they say they purchased the full coverage, it’s generally what the insurance company told them was the minimum for full coverage. In most cases, they are not insured enough because the $15,000 property damage claim is not going to cover most cars nowadays. Most vehicles can be $50,000 or so and even on the low end, most cars are generally in the $20,000 ballpark. So our experience has been that generally, people in Maryland are underinsured and may not even be aware of it.

Does Maryland Require Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

Maryland law, by statute, does require a limit of $30,000 for uninsured motorist coverage for all vehicles.

What Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Actually Cover?

Uninsured and underinsured insurance refers to insurance policies that would cover damages related to an accident where the at-fault motorist is not insured at all or is underinsured. So, let’s say the driver who caused the accident had a minimum policy and your damages exceed that, it is a claim you then can make against your own auto policy. This is a sort of first party type policy.

Underinsured or uninsured insurance, is a policy you would have purchased to cover yourself; different from liability protection and property damage type protections. When you make a claim, it doesn’t hurt your policy premiums. It’s there for you to use because somebody else hurt you and it’s their fault. Underinsured/uninsured coverage offers you the ability to receive medical treatment and to recover lost wages and anything else recoverable, before you actually have to sue the defendant or liable driver.

Is It Advisable to Sue the Liable Driver Even if You Have Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

Under certain circumstances, you may want to sue a liable driver even if you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. However, in most cases you would make the claim under your own policy, take your benefits and then let your insurance company go after them through subrogation. There are various ways to go about it, but it can be a legal trap. Even those who practice in that area of the law need to look into it all the time and each scenario can be different.

For more information on Minimum Car Insurance Requirements, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking talk Arnold F. Phillips by calling today.