Personal Injury Solicitor Legal Advice
Sisi Maseko
These days, depending on the type of daily driving activity you carry out, it is worth considering starting a personal injury protection plan. This should not be considered a selfish act as there are other people to think about if you are gifted wit a family that will need financial support.
PIP's (personal injury protection) are a standard part of some plans which also include terminal illness and disability cover and this might be a more efficient way to purchase this type of insurance. While this is obviously a good idea, the average family will decide the merits of this first against the overall cost of their current insurance commitments.
The situation can be made worse when the policy has not been researched carefully and does not insure everything it was intended to. In America, a number of states have made it law to have some form of personal injury and home cover but the amount varies. In Alaska for example a car driver will require ten times the amount of coverage that a driver in Florida will need. Even if personal injury protection is not obligatory in your state, you may still want to consider purchasing a policy anyway.
A large amount is paid out against these plans for the insured and any person traveling with them, up to four fifths of the costs. These costs include medical bills, lost wages and other assorted expenses because it is termed a 'no-fault policy', so it covers you and your passengers, even if the fault was yours. Some plans will cover some if not all these aspects and it is worth checking these fully before any additional insurance plans are started. It is quite common for certain aspects like hospital bills and possibly a percentage of lost income to be covered by a family health insurance policy.
If you were to find that this was case then you may not require a personal injury plan at all or only a minimal cover one at worst. How you drive will also help determine whether or not you need personal injury protection. If you carry passengers on a regular basis your health insurance might cover your own medical expenses, it won't however, cover those of your passengers (unless they are members of your family who are on your health plan). So if your personal injury protection policy does not cover your passengers, it is your responsibility to ensure they are protected.
It is the responsibility of the driver (or other insured party) to look after the safety of their passengers, whoever they may be. For your own peace of mind you should want to make sure that even if your state does not make it mandatory to provide personal injury protection, you should feel obliged too. Many drivers find they only require minimal injury cover as they are middle aged, experienced drivers with a good record and already have an adequate health insurance plan in force. Accidents unfortunately happen but before you rush into buying insurance cover, look into the subject as it could save you some money but more importantly will make you feel more secure when you drive with passengers.
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