So, car insurance is a thing. It’s just something you can’t avoid if you want to drive on Atlanta’s streets. And the problem is that it’s a hit to your wallet when you have to cough over the money for your car insurance premium. So, why is that necessary? Why do you need to get car insurance? Well, there are plenty of good reasons, and we’re going to go over four of them.
Why do I need to get car insurance?
1. It’s the law.
States require drivers to carry certain amounts of car insurance. It’s just the law. Georgia, for example, mandates drivers to carry $25,000 bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 bodily injury liability per occurrence, and $25,000 property damage liability. These requirements for limits of insurance are meant to protect other drivers on the road from, well, you.
Bodily injury liability can help cover the other driver’s medical bills and pain and suffering if you’re at-fault in an accident, while property damage liability can help with the repairs or replacement of the car. (Basically, it helps you cover your legal obligation to the other driver if you injure them or damage their car in an accident.)
If you don’t have proper car insurance and you get pulled over or cause an accident, you could have some major trouble on your hands.
(Note that we didn’t mention anything about liability insurance protecting your car…because it doesn’t. We’ll get to that in a minute.)
So that’s one (but really two) good reasons why you need car insurance: because it’s the law and because it can help you help those that you could injure in an accident.
2. Car insurance can help you repair your vehicle if it’s damaged by a covered loss.
If you have collision and comprehensive coverage, your car insurance can help you repair or replace your vehicle if it’s damaged by a covered loss. (Remember, your liability insurance only helps you cover your obligation to the other driver if you’re at fault in an accident – it won’t cover damages to your car. It also won’t help you if your car is damaged by something other than a collision, like fire.)
So, that’s why you ought to consider having collision and comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverage – Helps you repair or replace your vehicle if it’s damaged in a wreck or by a, well, collision with something.
Comprehensive coverage – Helps repair or replace your car if something other than a collision damages it. Some losses that can be covered are: fire, theft, animal strike, vandalism, and falling objects (i.e. a tree branch.)
While Georgia technically doesn’t require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage, it’s definitely something to think about. It can be a real financial safety net if some sort of calamity befalls your car. Don’t overlook it – your car is a huge financial investment, after all. So, there’s another reason why you need car insurance.
3. Your lender/lienholder may require you to carry collision and comprehensive coverage.
If you have a lender or lienholder for your car (the people who ask politely for money for your car payment) they may require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage for your car. That makes sense – they want to make sure the car they helped you pay for is protected. It’s important that you know what their requirements are and that you get the insurance they want you to have.
4. With UM/UIM coverage, you can be protected if you’re hit by a driver without insurance or without enough insurance.
Let’s say that you’re involved in a car accident and the other driver is at fault. The only problem is that they don’t have enough insurance to cover all of your medical bills resulting from an accident – they’re underinsured. Or what if they don’t have insurance – they’re uninsured. With uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM coverage), your car insurance can help you if the driver who hit you doesn’t have enough insurance (or any insurance) to cover all of your medical bills or the total cost of the accident. (Even if the driver has the legal, required limits of car insurance, those minimum limits might not be enough to cover all the costs of an accident.) As we all know, hospital and medical expenses can be quite astronomical. With UM/UIM coverage, you could get some help covering those bills.
So, those are four compelling reasons to get car insurance. Not only is it the law, but it’s also a financial safety net. Get started with car insurance quotes by filling out our online quote form, messaging us on LiveChat, or calling us.