Auto Insurance FAQs

First and foremost, one of the things you must consider in purchasing auto insurance is the “full tort” option. If there is any way to stretch your budget to purchase full tort, as opposed to “limited tort,” do it. Limited tort really means limited ability to sue, when and if you are in an accident. Limited tort insurance could have a severe impact on you and your family. Full tort insurance allows you to recover all damages that could potentially be available to you when you are hurt in an accident. However, when you purchase a limited tort, you are essentially giving up the right to sue for your pain and suffering damages, which can be significant. Does full tort insurance cost more? Yes, but whatever limited savings you might achieve could be wiped out many times over if you are in an accident while carrying limited tort insurance. In addition to full tort coverage, you should purchase sufficient uninsured (UM) and underinsured (UIM) motorist coverage. This is coverage that protects you in the event that the responsible party doesn’t have any, or not enough, insurance to adequately compensate you for your losses. The temptation when purchasing auto insurance is always to get the best deal or the cheapest premium. But you shouldn’t do so at the expense of coverage that could protect you when you need it.

Yes. If you purchase “limited tort,” it will apply to your UM/UIM coverage. Again, “limited tort” means you will only be able to recover for your economic damages – your out-of-pocket medical bills and income loss. Under limited tort, you cannot recover for any non-economic damages, or pain and suffering. Pain and suffering can be a significant component of damages in a motor vehicle collision case. Therefore, to fully protect you and your family, it is imperative that you purchase “full tort” coverage.

Yes. You cannot purchase more UM/UIM coverage than what you purchase in bodily injury insurance. Therefore, when you are deciding how much bodily injury insurance to purchase, it is important to keep in mind how much UM/UIM coverage you would want available to protect you and your family in the unfortunate event of a motor vehicle crash.

Stacking is the right of an insured motorist to combine UM and UIM coverage on multiple vehicles in the same policy or to combine UM and UIM coverage purchased in different policies for the same insured. For instance, if you have an automobile insurance policy that insures three vehicles and carries $100,000 in UM/UIM coverage, it is a very good idea to elect stacking. In the event you or a family member are hurt in a crash, you can add $100,000 in UM/UIM coverage for each vehicle insured under the policy for a total of $300,000 in coverage.