As a resident of Connecticut, it is crucial to understand the state’s car insurance laws and requirements to ensure you’re adequately protected on the road. Here’s what you need to know:
Mandatory Coverage
Connecticut law requires all motor vehicles to be insured with the following minimum coverage:
Liability Insurance: This coverage protects you if you’re found legally responsible for causing bodily injury or property damage to others in an accident. The minimum limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 per accident for property damage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) Coverage: This coverage protects you, your relatives living in your household, and your passengers if you’re involved in an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. The minimum limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
Collision Coverage: This coverage helps pay for repairs or replacement of your vehicle if it’s damaged in a collision with another vehicle or object.
Medical Payments Coverage: This optional coverage helps pay for medical expenses for you and your passengers if you’re injured in an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
Additionally, commercial motor vehicles over a specified weight have higher liability limits to meet. For example, vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds that transport non-hazardous materials must have at least $750,000 in liability coverage.
Protecting Yourself with UM/UIM Coverage
As a named insured on your policy, you have the power to protect yourself and your family by selecting the appropriate UM/UIM coverage limits. In Connecticut, your UM/UIM coverage limits are effectively controlled by the liability limits under your policy.
You have the right to purchase UM/UIM coverage up to the limits of your liability coverage. For example, if your liability limits are $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, you can purchase UM/UIM coverage with the same limits.
Additionally, you can elect to double your liability limits for your UM/UIM coverage. This means that if your liability limits are $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, you can purchase UM/UIM coverage with limits of $200,000 per person and $600,000 per accident.
Furthermore, you can purchase “conversion” coverage, which prevents the value of your UM/UIM claim from being potentially reduced by payments made on behalf of the at-fault party, workers’ compensation payments, or certain other narrowly defined payments. With conversion coverage, you can collect up to the full amount of your UM/UIM coverage limits, regardless of any other payments made.
By understanding your rights and options when it comes to UM/UIM coverage, you can better protect yourself and your family in the event of an accident involving an uninsured or underinsured driver.
Remember, these are just the minimum requirements, and it’s always a good idea to consider higher coverage limits to ensure you’re adequately protected in case of a serious accident.
