How Much Pennsylvania Car Insurance Do I Really Need to Buy?
It's the golden question when we go shopping for car insurance, isn't it? How much auto insurance do you really need, and how little can you get away with paying for it! Before you go shopping for a car insurance policy, however, it's important to know exactly how much auto insurance Pennsylvania state law requires before you hit the highways!
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Pennsylvania Car Insurance Requirements
a) Liability: Pennsylvania requires its drivers to carry liability car insurance before they hit the highways. Liability insurance is the insurance coverage that's going to pay the bills of the person you hit (since their insurance will take care of you if it's the other way around) as well as covering any property damage that might have resulted from the accident. Pennsylvania is a 15/30/5 state, which means you're required to carry $15,000 in bodily injury per person and $30,000 per accident, as well as $5,000 in property damage.
Keep in mind that most cars cost more than $5,000, and that hospital emergency room visits start at about $500-1,000, with ICU costs totaling over $5,000 a day. Minimum liability car insurance probably isn't going to be sufficient to keep you safe when you're out on the roads. You're going to want to raise your limits.
b) Comprehensive: Comprehensive auto insurance is not required by state law; however, it's a good thing to have (regardless of where you live or what you happen to be driving). Comprehensive insurance is going to protect you if an ice laden branch comes crashing through your windshield or hail storms completely ruin your headlights. This is insurance against "Acts of God" and can save you thousands in repair costs.
c) Collision: Collision is another form of Pennsylvania car insurance not required by the state that you're going to want to consider investing in. If you're in an accident your liability insurance is going to take care of the damages to the other guy's car. It's not, however, going to take care of the damages to yours. Since you probably don't just "happen" to have thousands of dollars lying around to buy a new car it would be wise to pick up a collision policy for the full value of your car.
d) Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist: Pennsylvania really is one of the minimum required car insurance states-they don't require uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage either. With the economy being the way it is over 15% of drivers out on the roads don't have any kind of insurance policy. That means that while they'll still be responsible if the two of you are in an accident, you could be tied up in court for years seeking reimbursement for your damages.
With an uninsured motorist policy your Pennsylvania car insurance company will take care of your damages so you can stay out of court and get back on the road as quickly as possible. Most experts recommend you carry a minimum of $100,000 in uninsured motorist coverage to make sure you're safe no matter what happens out on the highways.