Buy Added Auto Insurance for Xmas Road Trips

If you’re one of many driving somewhere for the upcoming holidays, ensure you have adequate auto insurance coverage. Even if you have insurance, look into extended protection, particularly in these scenarios:

For rental vehicles

Even though personal auto insurance covers many losses, it’s limited, so always consider rental car coverage. Personal policies may cover property damage in rental car accidents, but not some subsequent costs, such as the rental company’s loss of income or rental car’s diminished value.

Read the fine print about insurance in rental contracts. Talk to your insurer to clarify personal coverage, and get quotes with higher liability limits and lower deductibles, which will help cover losses with ease.

Out-of-state travel

When travelling out of state, explore additional protection. Auto insurance laws vary by state. Those from no-fault states such as Florida or Michigan often only carry state minimum liability limits, or worse, don’t cover bodily injury. This usually means you don’t have adequate coverage. And very little or no protection – even in not-at-fault accidents.

It’s especially important when traveling to these states to carry additional insurance for collision as well as for property damage. Be particularly aware of the limits of your bodily injury coverage. If you’re uninsured or under-insured, you should acquire additional bodily injury coverage. If someone is injured in an accident you caused, you could be sued for medical expenses, court costs, legal fees, and pain and suffering; you’re responsible for those expenses if they exceed your coverage limit for bodily injury.

Peace of mind

You may pay more, but if insufficient coverage results in you having to pay for repairs or for the major expenses resulting from an accident with injuries that exceed your liability limits, you probably won’t be able to take a vacation again for a long time. In that case, the cost of protecting yourself with appropriate coverage is certainly worth it.