New Jersey Car Insurance Online What You Need To Look For
Shopping online can be both fun and beneficial, but many of us are wisely careful about what it is exactly that we are purchasing. If youre a car owner and driver in New Jersey and are interested in looking for car insurance online, there are a few things you need to know first.
Did you know that in order to drive legally in most states, drivers are required to purchase a minimum of liability insurance, including property damage and bodily injury? Its true. And in all states, you are financially responsible for car accidents in which you are involved so youll have to show proof that you can cover the financial responsibility. The costs of automobile accidents are usually much higher than the costs covered by the minimum insurance limits set by each state.
New Jersey car owners are required to have bodily injury and property damage liability, as well as personal injury protection (which can cover medical, rehabilitation, and funeral costs, as well as any lost earnings due to the accident personal injury protection is mandatory in all no-fault states) and uninsured motorist coverage. The minimum liability limits for New Jersey car owners is 15/30/5. Although New Jersey car owners are not required to show their proof of insurance at the time of vehicle registration or registration renewal, they are required to show proof of insurance at the time of an automobile accident and keep such proof of insurance in their vehicles at all times. If at any time a New Jersey car owner is caught without proof of insurance, he or she risks being fined anywhere from $300 to $1,000, being sentenced to community service, and having his or her license suspended for one year.
So, the next time you look online to do some shopping make sure you know exactly what youre getting, and that what youre getting is what you need especially if youre purchasing New Jersey car insurance online!
Tags: Automobile Accident, Automobile Accidents, Bodily Injury, Car Accidents, Car Owner, Car Owners, Financial Responsibility, Insurance Limits, Liability Insurance, Liability Limits, Medical Rehabilitation, Minimum Insurance, Minimum Liability, New Jersey Car Insurance, No Fault States, Personal Injury Protection, Property Damage Liability, Registration Renewal, Uninsured Motorist Coverage, Vehicle RegistrationRelated posts
Why This Lawyer Says You Should Buy Car Insurance From An Independent Broker
I don’t sell car insurance, but as a lawyer practicing in the field of personal injury I frequently see people suffer because they have the wrong insurance coverage. Often, this happens because they purchased directly from an insurance company instead of an independent broker.
Many of my clients who have been seriously hurt in a car accident were struck by someone who had no insurance or only the minimum liability insurance coverage, which is $25,000 in New York and much less in many other states. Unfortunately, many of my clients were sold insurance policies with liability limits of $100,000 or $300,000, but were not sold matching uninsured and underinsured coverage.
Just this week, yet another new client had this problem. My client was a pedestrian crossing the street when she was struck by a car which fled the scene. The driver was caught shortly after leaving the accident, but the owner of the car only has the New York State minimum liability insurance of $25,000 and my client has serious injuries consisting of many broken bones including a fractured arm, leg and skull.
My client owns a car with liability insurance limits of $300,000, but she purchased the insurance from GEICO whose salesperson didn’t sell her underinsured coverage. GEICO does not use independent insurance brokers, but sells insurance directly to consumers through in-house sales agents.
For a small fee, my client could have purchased underinsured coverage of $300,000 which would have allowed her to recover $300,000 for her injuries instead of $25,000. Ironically, she did not need the $300,000 liability coverage to protect her assets. However, since you cannot buy underinsured coverage higher than your liability coverage, I would have advised her to purchase $300,000 liability coverage for the sole purpose of being able to purchase $300,000 underinsured coverage.
I have had many clients in this situation who lost their jobs because of serious injuries and incurred substantial debt. If they had matching underinsured coverage, the additional money available to pay their claim would would be a big help to pay their bills and get their life back together.
Underinsured motorist coverage will pay you money from your own automobile insurance policy if you have been hurt in a car accident by someone who was negligent for causing your injury and who had less liability insurance coverage than you did. Uninsured motorist coverage will pay you when the other car did not have any insurance coverage or the identity of the other car is unknown.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is inexpensive and usually available in limits that match your liability insurance coverage. It is not available in amounts greater than your liability insurance coverage.
Underinsured and uninsured coverage is so important that a couple of states now require coverage limits matching your liability insurance limits, unless you decline the coverage in writing. Several years ago, I suggested to several New York State senators that they enact a similar law in New York.
I have also seen many clients who were not sold the maximum medical payments insurance, which costs me only $2.01 per month on my car insurance policy. This is particularly important for people who do not have a good health insurance policy. It is also beneficial for passengers who do not have health insurance.
Why should you buy car insurance through an independent insurance broker? The courts have defined the reason. There have been several “malpractice” lawsuits against insurance companies for failure to offer underinsured and uninsured motorists coverage limits matching the liability limits. However, when the insurance company sells directly to consumers, these cases have gone in favor of the insurance companies. The courts found that when a consumer buys insurance directly from an insurance company, rather than an insurance broker, the consumer is only buying insurance and is not paying for advice.
When you buy auto insurance from an independent insurance broker who represents several different insurance companies, you get the advantage of an insurance professional who can evaluate your needs and advise you accordingly. Additionally, only an independent insurance broker can provide you with a choice of insurance companies and premiums, so you get the best coverage at the lowest price.
Whether you buy your car insurance directly from an insurance company or through an independent insurance broker, always make sure that you purchase matching uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and the maximum medical payment benefits.
Tags: Broken Bones, Car Accident, Car Insurance, Geico, House Sales, Independent Broker, Independent Insurance Brokers, Insurance Company, Insurance Limits, Insurance Policies, Liability Coverage, Liability Insurance Coverage, Liability Limits, Minimum Liability, New York State, Pedestrian, Personal Injury, Salesperson, Sell Car, Sole Purpose