By James J. Robinson
How does one find the
best Pennsylvania car insurance? What are some of the cheapest auto insurance
companies in Pennsylvania? What are the PA minimum auto insurance coverage
requirements? What are some things to look for when comparing Pennsylvania car
insurance rates? How does one find Pennsylvania rental car insurance - and
should it even be purchased in the first place? These are all key questions for
PA residents that are of legal driving age. Read on to learn some of the PA
auto insurance basics and see if maybe you can end up saving yourself some
money in the process!
Pennsylvania No Fault
Auto Insurance Laws
The state of
Pennsylvania uses a no-fault system in regards to car accidents. This means
that your insurance company will pay your injury claim regardless of who was at
fault in the event of an accident. Since no-fault laws vary from state to state
and can change over the years, you might want to call or visit the website of
the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance if you have any questions
PA Car Insurance
Minimum Coverage Requirements
Under Pennsylvania
law, you are required to have bodily injury coverage in a minimum amount of
$15,000 per person, up to $30,000 per accident. Bodily injury insurance will
cover such things as medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any
legal defense costs you may incur as a result of an accident
Pennsylvania also
requires that you carry a minimum of $5,000 worth of property damage liability
car insurance. Property damage coverage will pay for damage to another person's
property such as a fence, house, or car, as well as any legal costs that may
arise from that damage
Personal injury
protection, or PIP, is required by Pennsylvania state law as well. There are
different levels of personal injury coverage available, but the minimum amount
required is $5,000. Pennsylvania calls the minimum amount required First Party
Benefits-Medical. If you are in an accident, this coverage will pay for related
medical and surgical expenses, rehabilitative services, such as physical
therapy, any necessary dental, psychiatric, and optometric expenses, ambulance
and nursing services, and required medications, medical supplies and prosthetic
devices. The policy will only provide benefits to you, any other drivers listed
on the policy, and any relatives living in the same home as you
PA Tort Laws
In Pennsylvania, you
must choose a tort option. A tort option defines your right to compensation if
you, or any members of your household, are injured by another driver in a car
accident
The limited right to
recover damages, or limited tort, provides limited benefits. While you will be
covered for all medical and other expenses as a result of an accident, you will
not be able to receive compensation for pain and suffering, or other
non-monetary damages unless your injuries are serious, such as a life long
disability or death. If you choose the limited tort option, your premiums for
property damage, full first party benefits, and income loss coverage will be
lower than if you choose the full tort option
If you opt for the
full tort coverage, your rights to recover financial compensation are not
restricted. Under full tort, not only will you and other members of your family
be able to recover damages for medical and other expenses, but you can seek
full financial compensation for pain and suffering, and other damages for
injuries you received that were caused by another driver in an accident. If you
choose the limited tort option, your premiums for property damage, full first
party benefits, and income loss coverage will not be reduced
Optional PA Auto
Insurance Coverage
Optional liability
coverage in Pennsylvania includes first party extraordinary medical coverage.
This type of coverage may give you and any members of your family medical
benefit coverage in an amount up to $1,000,000. If you choose this coverage, it
will take effect once the limit for your medical expenses has been reached
under your personal injury protection insurance
First party income
loss coverage will pay you up to 80 percent of your lost earnings if you are
unable to work after being injured in an accident. This coverage is limited to
$2,500 per month with a cap of $50,000
You may also personal
the optional first party accidental death car insurance coverage. This type of
coverage will provide a death benefit of up to $25,000 if you or a member of
your family living in your home dies from injuries sustained in an accident for
a period of 2 years after the accident occurred. The $25,000 will only be paid
to the designated beneficiary that you will name at the time you purchase this
coverage
First party funeral
coverage is another car insurance coverage option you can choose in the state
of Pennsylvania. This policy will pay $2,500 toward any funeral expenses if you
or a member of your family living in the same household dies as a result of a
car accident
While not required
under Pennsylvania law, you may want to also purchase uninsured/underinsured
motorist (UM/UIM) bodily injury coverage. This will pay for any expenses such
as medical, lost wages, injuries sustained in a hit-and-run, and other general
damages in the event you are injured by another driver who is either
underinsured or uninsured
You can also purchase
the optional uninsured motorist bodily injury car stacking policy. This option
will let you increase the limits for uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage.
This coverage will, however, increase your car insurance premium
In addition to all the
liability insurance options available in Pennsylvania, you may want to purchase
some type of vehicle coverage such as collision, comprehensive, emergency road
service, rental car limits, loan/lease gap coverage, and customized equipment
policies
Collision coverage
will pay for repair or replacement cost of your car if it has struck another
car, object, or has rolled over. Collision coverage cannot be purchased without
purchasing comprehensive coverage as well
Comprehensive coverage
will pay for damage from such things as falling objects, fire, certain natural
disasters, vandalism, theft, glass damage, and damage caused if you hit an
animal
If you have a loan on
your car, or lease your car, the bank or other financial institution may
require you to have both collision and comprehensive coverage on your car
Customized equipment
coverage will pay for any special equipment permanently installed on your car,
truck, or van such as running boards, brush bars, roll bars, fog lights, bed
liners, etc. You can only purchase customized equipment coverage if you have
both comprehensive and collision coverage as well
The optional
loan/lease gap insurance available in Pennsylvania will cover the actual cash
value of you car at the time of loss, and any greater amount owed at the time
of the loss, if your car gets damaged in an accident. This does not include any
deductible, unpaid finance charges, excess mileage, or wear and tear charges,
and any payment under this type of coverage will not exceed 25 percent of the
actual cash value of your car at the time of the loss
Pennsylvania High Risk
Car Insurance
The state of Pennsylvania
also has an Assigned Risk Plan. This program offers high risk Pennsylvania car
insurance to drivers who are not able to get certain types of coverage. You may
need to use this plan because of your driving record, type of car you own, or
if you have an unavailable motor vehicle record
Pennsylvania Rental
Car Insurance
Many PA drivers
agonize over whether they should purchase rental car insurance. While it is
true that your regular PA auto insurance policy will travel with you and cover
you even while driving a rental car it is important to make sure that your
regular auto insurance policy has all of the coverage that you will want while driving the
rental. For example, if you have a very bare bones regular Pennsylvania auto
insurance policy then you may want to consider purchasing the rental car
insurance
Finding The Cheapest
Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Company
While no one PA car
insurance company is the cheapest for everyone it is certainly true that PA has
a number of top auto insurance companies. Here is a listing of some of the
best
AIG
SF Insurance
Allstate
Esurance
Progressive Direct
GEICO
Liberty Mutual
Be sure and compare
rates from at least 5 different companies in order to find the best policy for
your needs
Compare Pennsylvania
Car Insurance Quotes Online
With all the options
for car insurance available in Pennsylvania, it may be wise to shop around
online for the best rates and coverage. You might want to do a side-by-side
comparison of rates, and services available at several different car insurance
companies. A little time and research may save you hundreds of dollars on your
car insurance policy in the state of Pennsylvania
Get started finding Pennsylvania car
insurance today!
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق