What Is Uninsured And Underinsured Motorist Coverage & Do I Need It?

California law requires that every driver have liability insurance of at least $15,000 PER PERSON / $30,000 PER OCCURRENCE for Bodily Injury or Death and $5,000 for Property Damage.

Auto insurance companies in California are required to offer Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage when someone buys liability insurance. You are not required to buy this coverage but you must sign a waiver if you choses not to.

So do you need Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage? 

Yes, and here’s why…

Even though the law requires it, not everyone driving has liability insurance. An estimated 15.2% of drivers in California do not have car insurance. [3] That’s over a 1 in 7 chance if someone hits you they may be uninsured!

If someone without insurance hits you, they may not always personally be able to pay for the damage they cause you. When this happens, having Uninsured Motorist coverage is crucial to cover yourself.

In California, Uninsured Motorist coverage and Under Insured Motorist coverage is the same. You don’t purchase each separately - you’re covered in both situations.  

Uninsured vs. Under Insured Motorist Coverage

UNINSURED MOTORIST (UM)

When a driver that doesn’t have insurance hits you OR you are a victim of a hit and run your own insurance may step in and cover your medical treatment, lost wages, pain, and inconvenience, among other things – up to your PER PERSON Uninsured Motorist limits. 

The PER OCCURRENCE limit is the most the insurance company will pay out for the entire collision when there is more than one person in your vehicle. Similar to liability limits, each injured person or individual killed cannot get more than the PER PERSON amount. That is the same whether there were 2 or 7 people in your vehicle. 

This may also cover you if you are a passenger in someone else’s car that gets hit. 

UNDERINSURED MOTORIST (UIM)

Underinsured Motorist coverage is similar to Uninsured Motorist coverage, but it only kicks in when the person that hit you has insurance and it’s not enough to fully cover your injuries/death. Your Underinsured Motorist coverage may also cover you when you are a passenger in someone else’s car that gets hit. 

HOWEVER, for your Underinsured Motorist coverage to kick in, your Underinsured Motorist limits must be higher than the liability limits of the person that caused the crash. 

For example, if the person that hits you only has a minimum liability policy of $15,000.00, your Underinsured Motorist coverage must be more than $15,000.00 for it to apply.  If you only have $15,000.00 in Underinsured Motorist coverage it does not apply because it is the same amount, not more.

For your Underinsured Motorist coverage to kick in, the full PER PERSON or PER OCCURRENCE – if there are multiple people involved – liability limits must be fully paid out by the at fault person’s insurance company. You CANNNOT use your own Underinsured Motorist coverage unless ALL the available insurance limits that cover the person that caused the collision are completely paid out. 

Still unclear about what underinsured motorist coverage is? Not sure if you have underinsured motorist coverage? 

Let us know and we’ll answer your questions.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only and nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation, including your own. The information contained on this website is not intended to create and receipt or viewing of it does not constitute an attorney-client relationship with Kinaly Law. Any submission of and/or our review of a submitted case or question may not be considered privileged or confidential and does not establish an attorney-client relationship.