What Is Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury
It's coverage that pays for your injuries when the driver who hit you has no insurance to cover them.
Coverage for injuries an uninsured driver causes you
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays your medical bills and related costs if another driver causes a crash and that driver has no liability insurance. It sits on your own policy, not theirs, and your insurer pays the claim in their place.
It matters for a driver your age for a plain reason. If you're injured in a crash that wasn't your fault, you still need the bills paid, and that happens only if someone has coverage. When the other driver has none, this is what stands in for it. Whether you're required to carry it, and how much, depends on your state.
Your state decides whether you're required to have it
Some states require drivers to carry uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage. Others make it optional, something your insurer has to offer but you can decline in writing. A few handle it differently again. You can find out which rule applies to you by asking your insurer or checking with your state's insurance department.
If your state makes it optional, you still have a decision to make. Declining it usually means signing a form saying so, and once you've signed, your insurer isn't obligated to offer it again at renewal unless you ask.
If you're not sure whether you already have this coverage, your declarations page will say so. Look for a line that names uninsured motorist bodily injury, separate from your liability coverage, which pays for other people, not you.
What it pays for, and what it doesn't
This coverage pays for your injuries and the injuries of passengers in your car. It can cover medical costs, lost income if you're unable to work, and related expenses, depending on your policy and your state's rules. It doesn't pay for damage to your car. That's a separate coverage, often called uninsured motorist property damage or handled through your own collision coverage.
It also applies to hit and run crashes in most states, since a driver who flees is effectively uninsured as far as your claim is concerned. Check your policy or ask your insurer whether hit and run is treated the same way where you live.
Some policies include underinsured motorist coverage alongside this one. That applies when the other driver has insurance, but not enough to cover what you're owed. The two are often sold together but they answer different situations, so it's worth knowing which one, or both, your policy includes.
Questions people ask about this
Is uninsured motorist bodily injury the same as liability coverage?
No. Liability coverage on your policy pays for injuries you cause to someone else. Uninsured motorist bodily injury pays for your injuries when someone else caused the crash and has no insurance of their own. They work in opposite directions.
Do I need uninsured motorist bodily injury if I have health insurance?
Health insurance can cover your medical treatment, but it doesn't cover everything a bodily injury claim might, such as lost income or pain and suffering, and it may leave you responsible for deductibles and copays this coverage would otherwise handle. The two serve different purposes, so having one doesn't make the other unnecessary.
How much uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage should I carry?
There's no single right amount, since it depends on your state's rules, what your liability limits are, and what you can afford if you're seriously injured. A common approach is to match it to your liability limits, but ask your insurer what your state allows and what others typically choose.
Does uninsured motorist bodily injury cover passengers in my car?
Yes, in most cases it extends to passengers riding with you at the time of the crash, not just you as the driver. Check your policy's terms, since how it applies to passengers can vary.
What happens if the uninsured driver is found later?
Your insurer may pursue the at-fault driver to recover what it paid you, through a process called subrogation. That doesn't change what you're paid or when. Your claim is settled with your insurer regardless of whether they later recover anything from the other driver.
If you want to know what this coverage would cost on your own policy, compare quotes and see your options side by side.
Pull out your current declarations page and look for a line naming uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, so you know whether you already have it and at what limit. If you're not sure what your state requires, call your state's insurance department or ask your agent directly, since this is one of the few points where the rule depends entirely on where you live. If you're shopping for a new policy, ask each insurer to show you the cost of this coverage separately, so you can see what you'd be declining if you chose to skip it. If you've been in a crash with an uninsured driver before, or know someone who has, use that as a reason to look at your limit now rather than after it happens again.
