From QuoteScout.com

There's Nothing Like Trying to Drive Through a Northern Winter. Is Your Michigan Car Insurance Ready for This One?

Posted in: Car Insurance Articles

By Michael F. McDonough
Aug 19, 2009 - 11:14:43 AM

There's Nothing Like Trying to Drive Through a Northern Winter. Is Your Michigan Car Insurance Ready for This One?

If this is going to be your first "real" winter, you're in for an experience! Is your car insurance ready for it?

I don't care what anybody says-there's a huge difference between learning how to drive in Florida and learning how to drive in Michigan. Why? Because Florida doesn't have snow! Not enough to talk about anyway, although if the weather keeps being as wacky as it has been…anyway. If you're a Michigan native you're probably all geared up and ready to go for winter, but if you're still trying to get used to driving on white roads instead of black it would be a good idea to make sure your brand spanking new Michigan car insurance policy is ready for the worst.

Just in case.

Liability Car Insurance

No Fault Car Insurance-When your insurance company doesn't care who caused the accident, they're going to be taking care of you and the other driver's insurance will be taking care of you. Only the responsible driver will take a hit to their car insurance rates.

Let's start by taking a quick look at your liability coverage, although we're not going to spend too much time on it. Michigan is a no-fault state, which means before you can take your Michigan license plates out on the highway you have to have a minimum of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident in bodily injury protection and $10,000 in property damage liability. Since it's a no-fault state, uninsured motorist insurance is a non-issue.

The question isn't whether or not you have liability car insurance on your Michigan car insurance policy, but whether your limits are going to be high enough. Remember that snow can wreck havoc with your driving skills. Even the best drivers have a tendency to end up in the ditch when the roads are coated in black ice, so it's best to prepare for the worst. Most experts recommend you carry a minimum of $100,000 in bodily injury insurance ($300,000 per accident). When you consider the expense of medical care for passengers and/or pedestrians that might be involved those minimum liability limits aren't as inclusive as they sound.

Where are your limits?

Comprehensive and Collision Car Insurance

If there are two types of coverage you never, ever want to be without when you're driving in winter weather, it's comprehensive and collision car insurance. Remember, liability insurance is only going to take care of everyone else in an accident. It's not going to take care of damages to your car if you slide off the road into a tree or hit a deer, and it's going to leave you hanging if you slide into another car and completely toast your bumper (and engine, and transmission, and alignment, and…). That's where comprehensive and collision step in.

Pro tip: Just because the state isn't jumping up and down and screaming that you HAVE to have collision and comprehensive car insurance on your Michigan car insurance policy doesn't mean you should be out and about in the December snow without it. Your car is an expensive investment, and probably not one you want to be without while you try to come up with financing for a new one. If you still share joint custody with the bank you've probably already got extra coverage on your car. If you don't, now is a great time to start.

Don't wait around for Old Man Winter to make your decision for you.