Pennsylvania Car Insurance: The Basics

By R Daniel Williams

It doesn’t matter where you live, it is important to drive with car insurance. Auto insurance makes sure that you can afford to pay for damages to your vehicle if it is in an accident, replace your vehicle if it is stolen, or pay punitive damages to another person or property if you are in an accident. Like most other states, Pennsylvania car insurance is required by law if you want to operate your vehicle. This is so that you and other people on the road are protected from accidents.

The law requires that Pennsylvania car insurance provide a minimum coverage amount of:

$15,000 / $30,000 limit Bodily Injury Liability

$5,000 limit Property Damage Liability $5,000 (PIP) First Party Benefits

Basically, in order to legally operate your vehicle in the state of Pennsylvania, you need to have insurance that provides at least this much coverage. Of course, you can always opt for more, which is usually recommended. In this case, Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage is typically the first to be added on. This is, basically, a supplement to your own coverage so that if you are injured and need medical attention, you can get it even if the other responsible party does not have enough insurance to take care of you.

Bodily Injury Liability provides protection in the event that you or someone else is injured in an accident. This could be from two cars striking each other on the road or you lose control of your vehicle and it hits a pedestrian. Pennsylvania car insurance requires that you have this coverage so that if you are responsible for an accident where bodily injury is the result, you will be able to pay for damages. This could include medical costs for the hospital stay, follow-up consultations with a doctor, medical or surgical procedures, and medications or prescriptions that might have been prescribed as the result of the accident.

The Property Damage Liability stipulation of Pennsylvania car insurance provides the same benefits as Bodily Injury, but is assessed to damage to physical property. When a driver hits your car, for whatever reason, your car will be damaged. Their insurance policy will assess the amount of money it will cost to repair the damages and pay you for it. This might also apply to other forms of vehicles like motorcycles, trucks, and even bicycles. It can also apply to stationary property like your home, detached garage, or shed. It can even apply to other personal property that could have been damaged or destroyed in an accident, such as things you might be hauling in your trunk like a stroller, cooler, or shopping bags with grocery items.

Pennsylvania car insurance Personal Injury Protection, or ‘PIP,’ also helps to pay for ‘reasonable and necessary’ medical expenses for you and your passengers. Bodily Injury Liability only covers the driver and passenger of the other vehicle involved with the accident. This aspect of your policy ensures that you and your passengers can cover the potential expenses of hospitalization and other medical attention you might need too.

About the Author: Univ of Pitt Grad 1984 Started Williams Agency 1986 Providing Better Insurance for Pa & NY residents for Less Money Better Pennsylvania auto insurance for less money email to: dan@williams-agency.net

Source: isnare.com

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