Do You Have Enough Car Insurance?

Do you have enough car insurance? It’s a great question, and one that most drivers really don’t know the answer to.
Let’s take a moment to break down the different types of insurance coverage available, so that you and your loved ones are well taken care of in the event of a car accident.

What does liability insurance cover in a car accident?

Liability insurance is designed to protect you financially if you are responsible for causing a car accident that results in injuries or damages to others. In other words, it helps cover the costs associated with the other party’s medical bills, property damage, and other related expenses. Further, if another driver causes a crash, their liability insurance should kick in and cover your injuries and damages.

There are two main components of liability insurance: 

• Bodily injury liability: This covers the medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages of the other party if they are injured in the accident. 
• Property damage liability: On the other hand, this covers the repair or replacement costs for the other party’s damaged property, such as their vehicle or any other structures involved in the accident.

Liability insurance only covers the damages and injuries the other party suffers, not your own. If you want coverage for your own medical expenses or damages to your vehicle, you will need additional types of insurance, such as collision coverage. However, liability insurance is mandatory in Missouri and is a fundamental part of any responsible driver’s insurance policy.

In addition to covering the costs of the other party’s injuries and property damage, liability insurance also provides important legal protection. If you are sued by the other party involved in the accident, your liability insurance will typically cover your legal defense costs, including attorney fees and court expenses. This can be a significant benefit, as legal proceedings can be expensive and time-consuming.

It’s worth mentioning that liability insurance has limits. If an accident victim’s losses exceed your insurance limits, they might sue you and go after your personal assets and property. You should always review these limits carefully and consider increasing them if you have significant assets to protect. Remember that you do not have to restrict yourself to the minimum amount of mandatory liability coverage in Missouri. In fact, it is never wise to do so. 

Penalties for Not Having Liability Insurance in Missouri

Driving without liability insurance puts you at risk of financial liability in case of an accident. If you are found at fault in an accident and don’t have insurance, you could be personally responsible for covering all the damages and medical expenses, which can be incredibly expensive.

Additionally, if you are caught driving without liability insurance, you could face legal consequences. Missouri mandates a minimum fine of $300 for a first offense, and subsequent offenses can result in fines of up to $1,000, suspension of your driver’s license, and even possible jail time. These penalties are meant to discourage drivers from neglecting their responsibility to carry liability insurance and ensure that everyone on the road is protected.

Liability insurance is a necessary component of your car insurance policy. It covers the costs associated with injuries and property damage to the other party in the event of a car accident for which you are held responsible. Understanding what your liability insurance covers, as well as its limits, is essential for ensuring you have adequate protection and peace of mind on the road.

Drivers sometimes do not have car insurance or don’t have enough car insurance. Missouri and Illinois mandate every driver have insurance. The Missouri minimum of coverage for liability insurance (for when your negligence injures someone else) is $25K, and in Illinois, it is also $25K. Make sure you get car insurance with at least this minimum coverage.

We all know that it is a misdemeanor to drive without minimum insurance. Missouri’s minimum insurance is 25/50/10 – $25K per person, $50K per accident and $10K in property damage. Illinois’s minimum insurance is 25/50/20 – $25K per person, $50K per accident and $20K in property damage.

Further – get more than the minimum insurance. It is relatively cheap, and injuries and damages often exceed this minimum. If another driver injures you or one of your passengers, their insurance should cover your claim. That is why your claim is against them and their insurance company.

Having liability insurance is especially important in Missouri if you are injured and want to make a claim against the negligent driver. Missouri law now prohibits recovery for pain and suffering damage by a car crash for a victim, if that person was driving and had no liability insurance. All an uninsured driver can recover is medical bills and wage loss damages. Make sure you have insurance and pay your premium so it is not canceled.

You are also mandated to have uninsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist insurance covers when another driver injures you or a passenger and they did not have insurance. Yes, they violated the law and they ought to get a ticket for not having insurance, but you are still left uncompensated with no recourse. So, you have uninsured motorist coverage with your insurance.

You can make a claim against your own insurance company for your personal injuries even though another person, and not you, caused those injuries. Uninsured motorist coverage is very powerful, and a lot of lawyers don’t understand it.

Did you know that if a driver hits and injures you and flees the scene, or a phantom vehicle injures you, you have an uninsured claim? All uninsured coverage in Missouri and Illinois must cover you if there is a hit-and-run driver or if the driver is unknown and cannot be located. Uninsured motorist coverage also covers you if someone steals a vehicle and then injures you. We have had many examples of this occurring in my law practice.

Further, in Missouri uninsured motorist coverage can be stacked. This means that if you own 2 or 3 vehicles and an uninsured driver hits you, you can stack your $25K uninsured coverage to get more insurance, like Genavieve did for a recent client.

You also might have underinsured motorist coverage. This comes into play when another driver has minimal insurance, and your damages are large. For instance, if you have $100K underinsured coverage, and the driver that hit and injured you only has $25K, you can make a claim against your own insurance for your underinsured motorist coverage.

You also might have personal injury protection insurance, which often occurs when you rent a vehicle. This is additional coverage you can obtain when you rent a car that will protect you specifically from personal injuries.

You might also have medical payments or medical pay coverage. This is usually a smaller amount, under $10K, that you have on your insurance policy to pay for medical care resulting from a car accident.

It is strongly recommended you use your own health insurance, and the med pay should pay your co-pays or deductibles. Sometimes health providers try to make you use your med pay rather than using your health insurance because they want to make more money. However, you should always insist on using your health insurance coverage and making that med pay claim later. This is a complicated area in which some lawyers are well versed.

Sometimes people have liability only insurance which does not cover their own property damage. This only protects if you are negligent and you injure someone else. Note that under Missouri and Illinois law even if you have liability only coverage, you have to have uninsured motorist coverage as well.

All this to say, make sure you’ve got enough coverage to protect you and your loved ones! If you don’t, consult your car insurance company.

Car accidents are awful, but it’s important to be prepared with knowledge. Fortunately, we’ve literally written the book on how to handle a car crash!

Tell ya what, let me give you a copy.

Do you have enough car insurance? It’s a great question, and one that most drivers really don’t know the answer to. Let’s take a moment to break down the different types of insurance coverage available, so that you and your loved ones are well taken care of in the event of a car accident.

Drivers sometimes do not have car insurance or don’t have enough car insurance. Missouri and Illinois mandate every driver have insurance. The Missouri minimum of coverage for liability insurance (for when your negligence injures someone else) is $25K and in Illinois it is also $25K. Make sure you get car insurance with at least this minimum coverage.

We all know that it is a misdemeanor to drive without minimum insurance. Missouri’s minimum insurance is 25/50/10 – $25K per person, $50K per accident and $10K in property damage. Illinois’s minimum insurance is 25/50/20 – $25K per person, $50K per accident and $20K in property damage.

Further – get more than the minimum insurance. It is relatively cheap, and injuries and damages often exceed this minimum. If another driver injures you or one of your passengers, their insurance should cover your claim. That is why your claim is against them and their insurance company.

Having liability insurance is especially important in Missouri, if you are injured and want to make a claim against the negligent driver. Missouri law now prohibits recovery for pain and suffering damage by a car crash for a victim, if that person was driving and had no liability insurance. All an uninsured driver can recover is medical bills and wage loss damages. Make sure you have insurance and pay your premium so it is not canceled.

You are also mandated to have uninsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist insurance covers when another driver injures you or a passenger and they did not have insurance. Yes, they violated the law and they ought to get a ticket for not having insurance, but you are still left uncompensated with no recourse. So, you have uninsured motorist coverage with your insurance.

You can make a claim against your own insurance company for your personal injuries even though another person, and not you, caused those injuries. Uninsured motorist coverage is very powerful, and a lot of lawyers don’t understand it.

Did you know that if a driver hits and injures you and flees the scene, or a phantom vehicle injures you, you have an uninsured claim? All uninsured coverage in Missouri and Illinois must cover you if there is a hit and run driver or if the driver is unknown and cannot be located. Uninsured motorist coverage also covers you if someone steals a vehicle and then injures you. We have had many examples in my law practice of this occurring.

Further, in Missouri uninsured motorist coverage can be stacked. This means that if you own 2 or 3 vehicles and an uninsured driver hits you, you can stack your $25K uninsured coverage to get more insurance, like Genavieve did for a recent client.

You also might have underinsured motorist coverage. This comes into play when another driver has minimal insurance and your damages are large. For instance, if you have $100K underinsured coverage, and the driver that hit and injured you only has $25K, you can make a claim against your own insurance for your underinsured motorist coverage.

You also might have personal injury protection insurance, which often occurs when you rent a vehicle. This is additional coverage you can obtain when you rent a car that will protect you specifically for personal injuries.

You might also have medical payments or med pay coverage. This is usually a smaller amount, under $10K, that you have on your insurance policy to pay for medical care resulting from a car accident.

It is strongly recommended you use your own health insurance, and the med pay should pay your co-pays or deductibles. Sometimes health providers try to make you use your med pay rather than using your health insurance because they want to make more money. However, you should always insist on using your health insurance coverage and making that med pay claim later. This is a complicated area in which some lawyers are well versed.

Sometimes people have liability only insurance which does not cover their own property damage. This only protects if you are negligent and you injure someone else. Note that under Missouri and Illinois law even if you have liability only coverage, you have to have uninsured motorist coverage as well.

All this to say, make sure you’ve got enough coverage to protect you and your loved ones! If you don’t, consult your car insurance company.

Car accidents are awful, but it’s important to be prepared with knowledge. Fortunately, we’ve literally written the book on how to handle a car crash!

Tell ya what, let me give you a copy.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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