New York Auto Insurance
As with any state in the US, New York auto insurance is required for your vehicle to be legally operated on the streets of this state without being fined or penalized. In order to find suitable coverage for your auto insurance in NY, there are some things that you need to keep in mind.
Even though insurance seems as though it is an unnecessary expense, in the event of an accident you must have coverage to protect your car in case of damage to the body or frame, or bodily injuries to yourself, & the other driver involved in the accident, as well as any passengers. The lists of checked items below are required to have for minimal coverage upon a vehicle to operate it on the roads of New York State:
- Liability Insurance
- Bodily Injury
- Property Damage
- Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury
- Personal Injury Protection
The following types of vehicle insurance in the state of New York are highly recommended but they are not required to operate an auto on those streets:
- Comprehensive
- Collision
- Uninsured Property Damage
The abbreviations listed on your policy are defined below, along with the minimum cash rates that the items should cover:
- BI- Bodily Injury, $50,000 per accident & $25,000 per person
- PD- Property Damage, $10,000 to cover the other motorist’s vehicle
- PIP- Personal Injury Protection, $50,000 in medical coverage & 80% of lost wages replacement
- UM- Uninsured Motorist, $25,000 per person & $50,000 per accident
As you must have liability coverage in New York on the car for bodily injury, the smallest cash amount should be a minimum of $50,000 for each accident to cover the expenses of injury or death of others involved in the wreck & no less than $25,000.for each person. In addition to this, you will need a minimum of $10,000 to cover damages to the other motorist’s car.
If you are injured in an accident, Personal Injury Protection will cover up to 80% of your lost earned wages that you missed from being away from your job & it will cover all of your medical expenses of up to $50,000 for the wreck in New York state.
If you get into an accident from an uninsured motorist in New York or a hit & run driver, then you are also required to have $50,000 to cover the uninsured motorist’s bodily injury & a minimum of $25,000 to cover each individual in your car.
Without insurance coverage on your auto, you face very strong fines & reprimands including having your vehicle impounded, your driver’s license suspended, fines & possibly jail time, in the event of another person’s death. It pays to be safe & have coverage on your car!
When you have lower monthly premiums & a higher deductible, it may make it easier for you to manage your insurance coverage. Just be certain you choose a deductible that you can afford to cover.
Before signing up for an insurance company’s policy, you may wish to find out what the amounts of medical & auto repairs & damages actually cost because your policy may not be enough to cover these & you may wish to have a higher grade of insurance.
In order to find a reputable auto insurance provider, you may wish to either look in your local phone book’s Yellow Pages, or you may wish to do what many other motorists are doing & check online to find a vehicle insurance company. Shop around a bit & get several quotes to make an informed decision before buying a policy.
Some of the more reputable insurance companies in New York include but are not limited to AAA, Allstate, Farmer’s, Geico, State Farm, & Progressive. If you want more locally owned companies to go through, some of the better ones are New York Automobile Insurance Plan, New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Sterling Insurance Company, & a host of others.
Remember that in the unfortunate event of an accident, you will be relieved that you have coverage. It may not be necessary to have full coverage on your car, as this amount of insurance carries such a high monthly premium, but that depends you your vehicle and personal finances. When in an accident, the larger amount of coverage needs to meet your needs for both. You can use the quote tool at the top of this page by typing in your zip code right now, and you'll receive multiple quotes on your New York auto insurance today.