Uninsured Motorist Coverage for Seniors in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania doesn't require uninsured motorist coverage, but most drivers over 65 still have good reason to carry it.
Yes, it's worth keeping, and your age isn't the reason why
Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries when the other driver has no insurance or not enough of it. Pennsylvania doesn't require insurers to include it automatically. You can decline it in writing, but unless you've signed that rejection form, you likely already have it.
What makes this coverage matter isn't your age. It's that Pennsylvania has a meaningful number of uninsured drivers on the road, and medical costs after a serious crash can run well past what a liability-only policy from the other driver would cover, if they're insured at all. A senior driver with Medicare is sometimes told they don't need this coverage because Medicare will pay their medical bills. That's not quite right, and it's worth untangling in the next section.
Medicare doesn't replace what this coverage does
Medicare covers medical treatment, but it doesn't cover lost income, pain and suffering, or the gap between what a hospital charges and what Medicare actually pays. Uninsured motorist coverage can cover those things. If you're relying on Medicare as your reason for dropping this coverage, you're comparing two things that don't overlap as much as they seem to.
There's also a practical issue. Medicare may seek reimbursement from any settlement you receive from an at-fault driver's insurer. If that driver has no insurance, there's nothing for Medicare to collect from, but there's also nothing for you, unless your own policy has uninsured motorist coverage in place.
If you're on a fixed income, the other side of this is cost. Dropping uninsured motorist coverage will lower your premium somewhat. Whether that trade is worth it depends on how much you could actually absorb out of pocket if you were hit by a driver with no insurance. That's a question only you can answer, but it's worth running the numbers before you sign anything declining the coverage.
What actually changes with age, and what doesn't
Your age doesn't change whether Pennsylvania offers this coverage or what it pays for. What can change, for some older drivers, is the underlying auto policy itself. If your insurer has flagged your record after a renewal, perhaps due to a recent claim or a vision test tied to license renewal, that review is about the whole policy, not a reason to touch your uninsured motorist coverage specifically.
Some drivers assume that once they're older, they drive less, so the odds of being hit by an uninsured driver go down and the coverage matters less. Less driving does lower your overall risk, but it doesn't eliminate it, and a single serious crash late in life is harder to recover from physically and financially than the same crash at thirty.
If you're helping a parent review their policy, check whether they ever signed a form rejecting this coverage. It happens more often than people realize, sometimes years ago, for a premium saving that seemed small at the time. Ask their insurer directly whether uninsured motorist coverage is currently on the policy, since you can't always tell from the premium alone.
Questions people ask about this
Does uninsured motorist coverage cover a hit and run in Pennsylvania?
Yes, in most cases, because the other driver is effectively unidentified and uninsured as far as your claim is concerned. Check your policy's specific language on hit and run claims, since some policies require that the accident be reported to police within a set window for the claim to go through.
Can my insurer drop my uninsured motorist coverage without telling me?
No, insurers in Pennsylvania need your written rejection to remove this coverage, not just a renewal notice. If you never signed a rejection form, the coverage should still be on your policy. Call your insurer and ask them to confirm what's currently included before you assume anything changed.
Is underinsured motorist coverage the same as uninsured motorist coverage?
No, they cover different gaps, though insurers often sell them together. Uninsured motorist coverage applies when the other driver has no insurance at all. Underinsured motorist coverage applies when they have insurance, but not enough to cover your injuries. Ask your insurer whether your policy includes both or only one.
Will taking a defensive driving course lower my uninsured motorist premium?
It depends on your insurer, since Pennsylvania doesn't set a statewide rule requiring this discount. Some insurers apply a course discount across your whole policy, others apply it only to certain parts of it. Ask your insurer directly whether a completed course applies to this specific coverage.
What happens if I'm a passenger in someone else's car and they're hit by an uninsured driver?
Your own uninsured motorist coverage can often still apply to you as a passenger, not just when you're driving your own car. Whether it does depends on the specific terms of your policy. Ask your insurer how your coverage follows you when you're riding in another vehicle.
See how other Pennsylvania insurers price this coverage before you decide to change anything on your current policy.
Pull out your current policy declarations page and look for a line that says uninsured motorist coverage or UM coverage, along with a dollar limit next to it. If you don't see it listed at all, call your insurer and ask whether you ever signed a rejection form for it. If you're helping a parent, do this together so you can see the actual document rather than relying on memory. Once you know what you currently have, you'll be in a better position to compare that against quotes from other insurers to see whether you're paying a fair price for the coverage you're keeping.
