What are the Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in Ohio?
To drive legally in Ohio, you need to meet the state’s minimum insurance requirements: a minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person or $50,000 per incident.
If you opt for the minimum amount of coverage, be aware that the Ohio minimum car insurance requirements only protect you from liability for injuries and damages you cause up to the limit of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Having minimum levels of car may put you at serious financial risk.
The injured party could potentially sue you personally with a view toward having you pay all damages in excess of the minimum insurance limits that you purchased.
GB Law recommends that you consult with your auto insurance company to make sure that you have enough insurance to protect you and your assets in the event that you cause an accident.
Additional Auto Insurance Coverage Options in Ohio
If you are injured in a car accident and the at-fault driver only has state minimum coverage, then the auto insurance available to cover your injuries and damages may be limited to $25,000.
GB Law recommends that you ask your insurance agent if you have sufficient uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in case you are seriously injured due to the negligence of a motorist with state minimum coverage.
Uninsured / Underinsured Insurance Coverage
It’s estimated that 13% of drivers in the state of Ohio drive without insurance — even though it is illegal to drive without car insurance. A motorist purchased uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage from their own auto insurance policy.
Uninsured/underinsured insurance coverage protects you from an accident caused by a driver with state minimum coverage or no insurance coverage.
Your own auto insurance company may have a legal obligation to compensate you for your damages like medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured.
Medical Payments Coverage (Medpay)
Your auto insurance company should offer you medical payments coverage at the time you purchase or renew your auto policy. Medical payments coverage helps pay medical bills that are not paid in full by your insurance company. Medical payments coverage can be only used to help pay for medical bills following a car accident.
It is important to know that when you or your family is hurt in a wreck due to the recklessness of someone else, even if that someone else has plenty of liability insurance to cover the losses, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will not pay any medical bills until you or your family are ready to settle your case.
However, your medical providers will need to be paid, so a good medical payments insurance policy helps fill the gap.
Do You Have Full Ohio Car Insurance Coverage in Ohio?
People often think they have full coverage when they don’t. Only an insurance policy with these additional coverage types is truly a full coverage policy.
That’s because these optional coverages do not only comply with Ohio car insurance laws but also protect you and your family by:
- Giving you coverage if you are not at fault and hurt by someone who either doesn’t have insurance (uninsured motorist coverage) or doesn’t have enough insurance to fully compensate you or your family for the harm done (underinsured motorist coverage).
- Providing additional money to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses as you incur them (medical payments coverage).
While uninsured/underinsured and medical payments coverage may cost more than meeting the state’s minimum insurance requirements, having them will be worth their weight in gold should your family be involved in an accident.
Learn More About Car Insurance in Ohio
For more information about how you can protect yourself with car insurance, contact GB Law today.