Imagine you and your family are in your car stopped at a red light. Another vehicle comes speeding from behind and slams into the rear of your car. It is totaled. Your spouse, your two children, and you suffer serious injuries. The police arrive and discover the other driver is drunk. Unfortunately, the officer also learns that the drunk driver that smashed into your car and injured your family has no automobile liability insurance. This scene is not imaginary. It happens every day in Alabama. According to the Insurance Information Institute, almost 20% of Alabama drivers are uninsured. Alabama has the 7th highest rate of uninsured drivers in the nation. What you may not know is that Alabama law requires an insurance company to provide at least $25,000 in coverage to you and your family under your policy if another driver without insurance causes you injury. This is called uninsured motorist coverage. All liability insurance policies written in Alabama must provide this minimum coverage, regardless of what the policy says. The only way for uninsured motorist coverage to be taken away is if you specifically decline it by signing a form when you buy the insurance. Otherwise, it's there automatically. When you buy automobile insurance you should:
- Never reject uninsured motorist coverage. Insurance agents will tell you that rejecting that coverage, at the most, will reduce your premium by only 10%.
- Buy as much uninsured motorist coverage as you can possibly afford. Increasing coverage from $25,000 to $50,000 or even $100,000 is less expensive than you think.
The threat of serious injury from irresponsible drivers in Alabama is real and growing every day. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, Larry Nussbaum Personal Injury Attorneys, P.C., is here to help you get the compensation you deserve, and we can answer any questions you may have.