Illinois Car Insurance Requirements, and Why Just a Little is Never Enough

Illinois Car Insurance Requirements, and Why Just a Little is Never Enough

Do you ever get that feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder with

What most car insurance providers won't tell you (in any way that doesn't resemble the sales pitch of a used car salesman!) is that the state's minimum liability coverage isn't the only coverage you want to have on your car. Whether you're living in Chicago, Joliet, Peoria, Cicero, Waukegan or somewhere in between, state minimums are only the beginning of the coverage you need to make sure you're not going to end up stranded for months without a vehicle and impossibly huge debts hanging over your head after an accident. Here's a quick summary of the coverage that you, as an Illinois driver, need to have before you hit the highways:

1) Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage. There are only two types of car insurance coverage that the state of Illinois requires you to have-liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Even if you didn't have the state government looking over your shoulder, however, uninsured motorist coverage is kind of like that spare set of underwear your mother always told you you should have with you in case you're ever in an accident. You should never leave home without it!

2) Liability. You're probably not going to be responsible for every accident you're involved in over the course of your lifetime, but chances are good that (through no fault of your own in many instances) you're going to be responsible for one or two. Being responsible for the accident means you're also going to be responsible for reparations to every Tom, Dick, Harry, car, truck, motorcycle, tree, light pole and guard rail that happened to be involved. That's where your liability insurance comes in.

According to the state of Illinois you have to carry bodily injury liability coverage up to and including $20,000 per person, or $40,000 per accident (to pay for medical bills for everyone else who happened to be at the scene of the crime) and $15,000 to pay for any property damage left in the aftermath. With repair bills starting at $1,200 per vehicle after an accident and ER visits starting at $1,000 and climbing, however, state minimums shouldn't be your minimums. Chances are, you're still going to have a tab to pick up at the end of the night!

Most experts recommend that you carry $100,000-$500,000 in liability coverage to protect you if you're, say, caught in a ten car pileup in the middle of winter on I-90 because your car spun out on a patch of black ice. It's up to you to decide how much insurance is right for you, but remember-at the end of the day, you're the one who'll be responsible for paying every penny of the damages caused by your accident.

3) Collision/Comprehensive. If you own your car free and clear (rather than sharing custody with the dealer or a bank until you get it paid off) you aren't required, per say, to have collision or comprehensive coverage; however, it's always a good idea. If you're driving in the middle of an east coast winter and wreck your car because the roads aren't fit for man or beast you're going to be the one left with the repair bills unless you have comprehensive car insurance. And while your liability insurance will pay the bills for everyone else's damages after the fact you're still left high and dry when it comes to your car after an accident without collision coverage.

The bottom line is that sometimes it's not about the bottom line. Don't play limbo with your car insurance-it's not about "how low you can go" when you're talking about protecting yourself and your assets after an accident. It's about making sure you feel safe every time you get behind the wheel.

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• Illinois Car Insurance Requirements, and Why Just a Little is Never Enough - Apr 16, 2009 - 6:57:31 AM