Optional Bodily Injury – MA
Optional Bodily Injury is the most important coverage on an MA auto insurance policy, and many people carry limits of coverage that are far too low should an accident occur. If you only carry the compulsory (required) bodily injury, your policy will only respond for an accident that occurs in the state of Massachusetts, and nowhere else.
The state of MA requires a minimum of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident for Bodily Injury to Others which pays for damages such as medical expenses, pain, and suffering, lost wages, court costs, etc. to anyone injured or killed by your vehicle. The cost for the optional bodily injury is a small portion of the cost for an auto insurance policy, and Optional Bodily Injury is not the coverage to skimp out on. We suggest that you buy as much coverage as you can reasonably afford.
If you cause an accident that goes above and beyond your liability limits on your auto policy, you can be held personally liable to pay for damages. Many bodily injury claims take years to resolve, and if you are sued and lose a lawsuit, all of your personal assets are at stake, as well as future wages and possible future inheritances as well.
As you could imagine, with the cost of current medical expenses and attorney’s fees, $20,000 in coverage does not go very far, and as an independent agent we suggest carrying a minimum of $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident on your auto policy as well as a minimum of a $1million umbrella policy. For more information on an umbrella policy click here… (link to Umbrella blog).
If you have a good driving record, the price difference from the required $20,000/$40,000 limits up to our minimum recommended a limit of $250,000/$500,000 may cost you as little as $50 per year more for each vehicle, which is a small price to pay to improve your coverage more than 10x.
If you have a youthful operator in your household, it is critical to make sure that you have sufficient bodily injury limits to protect your assets form that exposure. Newly licensed, and inexperienced operators have the highest likelihood of causing an accident, and finding out that you don’t have the coverage you need after an accident occurs is too late.
Contact us for a comprehensive review of your current Auto Insurance policy today!