What Should Be Covered Under Basic Car Insurance Policies?

What Should Be Covered Under Basic Car Insurance Policies?

The state of Texas requires basic level of car insurance at a level high enough to pay for the car accidents that they cause. This is done by purchasing a basic level of liability insurance. This basic liability insurance will pay to repair or replace the other driver’s car and will pay for their medical expenses.

30/60/25 Coverage

Before you can operate a car on Texas roads, you must carry a minimum amount of liability coverage. This minimum coverage includes:

• $30,000 for each injured person up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and
• $25,000 for property damage per accident

This basic coverage is called 30/60/25 coverage. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of cars and medical care, these minimums may not be enough to pay for all of the costs if you are at fault. If your liability limits do not cover all of the damages, you can be held personally responsible for the costs over and above your insurance limits and you should consider buying additional coverage to protect yourself financially. In addition, basic insurance won’t cover the cost of repairs for your car and it won’t pay for your medical bills if you are at fault. You will need to purchase additional coverage for personal injury protection or medical payments, collision, and comprehensive (other than collision) if you want your expenses to be covered.

Who Is Covered?

If your car was involved in an accident and the driver of the vehicle was not at fault, a basic liability policy will cover:

• The policy holder
• Any family members living in your home that are related by blood, marriage, or adoption
• Other people driving your car with your permission
• Family members attending school away from home
• Spouses living elsewhere during a marital separation

Your basic liability policy will also cover you and your family members when driving someone else’s car – including rental cars. It does not cover vehicles that you do not own but have regular access to and use of, such as company cars. Additionally, some policies will not cover all residents of your household if they are not named in the policy. Be sure to check your policy to ascertain if your policy identifies of all of the people in your household.

Added Coverage

To protect yourself financially, you may want to purchase additional coverage, including:

• Collision Coverage – covers the cost of repairing or replacing your car after an accident
• Comprehensive Coverage – Covers the cost of replacing or repairing your car for damage that results from incidents such as hail, fire, vandalism, falling objects, hit and runs drivers, etc.
• Personal Injury Protection Coverage – covers medical payments plus 80% of lost income
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage covers medical bills, lost wages, disfigurement, pain and suffering, and permanent or partial disability when an accident is caused by an uninsured motorist, a hit-and-run driver, or a motorist who did not have enough insurance to cover your damages

Call Zinda Law Group

If you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident and have been injured, or you are not sure what your coverage is, the attorneys at Zinda Law Group can help you. We can help you determine your level of coverage and get your medical bills and lost wages paid. Call today to speak with one of our attorneys. The call is free and there is no fee for the consultation. So call today and let us help you. (800) 863-5312