Important and often Overlooked Types of Insurance Coverage that actually protect YOU:

Personal Injury Protection: Texas REQUIRES insurers to offer Personal Injury Protection (PIP). The only way you don't have PIP on your policy is if you signed a written rejection of the coverage with your agent. You can have $2500, $5000, or $10,000 in coverage. This is a no-fault insurance, which means you can collect against this coverage regardless of fault. The liability coverage of the other driver who causes the accident will not pay you for your injuries until you are ready to settle the entire case. Therefor, you will need an insurance coverage that pays for your medical bills and lost income (80% of lost income up to limits) while waiting to settle with the other person's insurance company. That is exactly what PIP does, it covers medical bills and lost income (as well as some other helpful areas). Contact your agent and make sure you have this important coverage on your insurance policy.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Approximately 1/3 of the drivers out on the road in Texas do not have insurance coverage for one reason or another (never bought it in the first place, missed a payment, driving a car they purchased but forgot to add to their policy, allowing a driver who has been excluded from the policy to drive the vehicle). You MUST have Uninsured/Underinsured motorist coverage on your insurance policy if you have an automobile accident with one of these motorists. This coverage is designed to take the place of the uninsured/underinsured motorist's coverage if they had coverage. Like PIP, insurance companies are required to offer you this coverage.

Make sure you have adequate UNDERinsured motorist coverage as well. Texas only requires that drivers carry $15,000.00 in liability coverage for property damage. This means that a vast majority of drivers on the road only have $15,000.00 in coverage if they hit your vehicle, since this is the minimum amount required, and is the cheapest rate, it is safe to assume, that this is the amount most people carry. This limit has not changed in over 20 years. This amount will not cover a new vehicle if it is totalled, which means that if you don't carry Underinsured Motorist coverage, you will be digging into your own pocket to pay for a loss caused by someone else. You MUST carry Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage to protect yourself.

Liability Coverage: Most people assume that they have adequate liability insurance coverage if they purchase what is required under the law. This is simply not true in Texas today. The minimum liability coverage in Texas is 20/40/15, which means $20,000 per person for injury claims, up to $40,000 per incident for injury claims (so no matter how many people are hurt, they wont pay over $40,000), and $15,000 for property damage regardless of the number of vehicles. If you are unfortunate enough to be the cause of an automobile accident, and that accident totals even 1 new vehicle, your minimum limits will not cover the entire loss. What will happen is the person you hit will be forced to use his own Underinsured Motorist coverage. Then that insurance company that paid under its Underinsured Motorist coverage will come back after YOU for what it paid. If you are unable to pay the insurance company back, they will file forms with the State of Texas to suspend your drivers license until you do pay the debt. They also can file liens against any property you own, including your house, which keeps you from being able to sell your home until the lien is paid off.

Be sure and check your liability limits, and purchase an adequate amount to protect yourself and your assets. Failure to do so can be devastating.

CALL NOW (972) 599-4100 or CONTACT US ONLINE if you have been involved in an automobile accident.