Auto insurance is a special type of insurance that everyone who operates a vehicle must carry unless the vehicle is unregistered and inoperable. In some states, the person has to surrender his or her tags so that the insurance obligation can be dropped. Otherwise, drivers have to obtain policies that at least carry the minimum amount of coverage by law in the state. Each state has different requirements.
The main purpose of auto insurance is to protect all of the people who will be on the road. It provides monies for accident victims so that they can pay their hospital bills and get their vehicles repaired.
Each insurance policy and its components have deductibles and then an amount of money that they will pay out for a specific cause. For example, a person may have coverage that takes care of vandalism issues. The individual must first pay the deductible before the insurance company will contribute. Once that is paid, the insurance company will step in and pay for the repairs that person needs for the vehicle. Deductibles can range from $250 to $2,500 or more. Usually, customers will sign up for higher deductibles if they want to pay lower premiums.
Several coverage types exist in car insurance. Collision, uninsured motorist, liability and auto rental are just a few of the different types of coverage one can have. Liability is just general coverage that protects the policy owner from liability. It pays out when the driver is liable for the accident. Auto rental coverage allows the person to rent a car while he or she waits for the auto repairs on the damaged vehicle. Uninsured motorist protects the policy holder in the case where the other person does not have enough coverage on his or her policy to help.
The benefit of having car insurance is that the policyholder can meet legal requirements that all drivers have to meet. It can bnefit the driver if that person gets into an accident as well by providing the funds that could get him or her back on track in terms of auto repairs.