How Texas Insurance Coverage Works
What do Texas drivers need to know about auto insurance?
Knowing who to trust following a car accident can be more complicated than you think. The other driver, their insurance company, and the Texas car accident attorney working for them may be looking for ways to discredit you and avoid taking responsibility for the damage and injuries you suffered in the wreck. However, you might be surprised that your insurance company will only cover some of your damages, treat you fairly, or work to ensure the other side is held accountable for their negligence.
Insurance agents work for insurance companies and are loyal to their employer, not you. This is never more evident than when drivers discover that their ‘full coverage’ auto insurance is not full coverage, which is something that many drivers do not find out until it is too late. And your insurance company is no more excited about paying for your damages than the other driver’s insurance company. Both companies want to get away with paying nothing or as little as possible.
Why might your ‘Full Coverage’ auto insurance not be full coverage?
Texas is a fault state, which means that a driver involved must be assigned fault when car accidents happen. The driver found to be at fault must compensate the crash victims for medical costs and property damage.
The fault auto insurance system can become problematic when the driver at fault for an auto accident does not have car insurance, or their car insurance is insufficient to pay for accident victims’ medical expenses and property damage. In cases such as this, if the driver who was the victim of the crash has uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) and personal injury protection (PIP), then their own insurance company should provide the compensation needed to ensure their medical expenses and property damage are fully covered. If a driver has full auto insurance coverage, their policy includes UIM and PIP. It is against the law for insurance agents to sell you a car insurance policy that does not include UIM and PIP unless you reject the coverage in writing, and therein lies the problem.
Insurance companies want you to choose them over their competitors. Therefore, they are often willing to do whatever it takes to provide you with lower premiums than their competitors. As a result, even though you requested full coverage when you bought your insurance policy, you still need to be fully covered. If getting your business means providing you with a lower premium than the competition, many insurers will have you waive your UIM and PIP coverage to keep your premiums low. In many cases, insurance agents will have you sign away your PIP and UIM coverage without warning you of its importance or that it means you are no longer fully covered. Insurance companies care more about getting your premiums than what is best for you and your family.
Set up a free Auto Insurance Policy Review with a Texas auto accident attorney today.
While it can be possible to recover compensation from your own insurance company if you were the victim of a car accident that was the fault of an uninsured or underinsured motorist or a hit-and-run crash, it is challenging. It requires the assistance of an experienced car accident lawyer. Therefore, it is much better to ensure that you have UIM and PIP coverage so that if you or a loved one is involved in a car accident, you will be fully covered.
If you are still determining whether your full-coverage auto insurance policy is full coverage, the Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, offer free auto insurance policy reviews to Texas drivers. If you would like more information or to schedule your free, no-obligation auto insurance policy review with an experienced insurance lawyer, feel free call 936-632-2000 or fill out the case review form on this page.
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