October 30, 2011

What Comprehensive Car Insurance Does Not Cover

Car insurance is designed to provide protection to drivers while they are on the road. Car insurance has several benefits for drivers and each state has a minimum level of coverage that is required for driving. Collisions and other things can happen on the road or to a car that cause damage to the vehicle. When a vehicle is damaged, most people turn to the car insurance that they pay for to compensate for the repairs. Comprehensive coverage is one of the most popular forms of car insurance because it covers the most types of damages. This type of coverage is also generally required when a driver still owes money on the car. There are some things that comprehensive auto insurance coverage does not cover, and it is important to understand what those things might be.

There are a few different levels of comprehensive coverage that cover different things. In general, the lowest form of comprehensive insurance is liability and collision insurance levels combined. This means that up to a certain dollar amount, the damage to a vehicle will be covered financially even if that driver is responsible for the collision. The liability portion of the insurance is what will cover the cost of the expenses for the other driver. This does not cover things like weather damages and does not help when another driver is uninsured or underinsured. Uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist protection are separate forms of coverage that are sold at higher degrees of comprehensive insurance.

A higher level of auto insurance coverage can be chosen to include uninsured and underinsured drivers. Higher levels of coverage can also include medical payment coverage as well as property damage. These are not covered on standard levels of comprehensive insurance. This means that if a driver were to hit something like a light pole, that driver would be responsible for payment of the damages rather than the insurance company. Medical payments are only covered for other drivers in normal forms of coverage. Medical payments and personal injuries can be taken care of by adding that specific form of coverage to the policy.

One popular feature that must be added on is loan payoff and roadside assistance. These things are not covered with comprehensive insurance and must be purchased in addition to the policy. With the extra loan payoff option, the car insurance company can pay the remainder of the loan on the car if it is totaled in a collision. Roadside assistance is generally used for towing after an accident. Roadside assistance, loan payoff, personal injury, uninsured motorist, and all of these other options are not included in comprehensive auto insurance. Speak with an insurance agent about more extensive coverage.