WHAT IS UNDERINSURED/UNINSURED MOTORIST OR UIM INSURANCE?

Ever wonder what would happen in the event of an accident where the liable driver lacked an insurance policy? Outcomes of these situations depend on whether the other party carries Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist or UIM Insurance.

In Washington, UM/UIM insurance is written into all insurance policies in Washington unless the policyholder expressly refuses it.

The minimum limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. UM/UIM insurance covers damages that an insured would be entitled to receive from a third party but, because the third party has no insurance or has insufficient insurance, the person is unable to do so. For example, if you are injured in a car crash and suffer $50,000 in damages, but the person that caused the crash is uninsured, UM/UIM insurance would step in to pay your damages up to your policy limit.

As the costs of medical care continue to rise and the numbers of uninsured/underinsured motorists on the roadways continue to increase, we see more and more clients needing to “use” their UM/UIM insurance. Hopefully you won’t need to, but if you do, you want it to be there for you.

Talk to your insurance agent about this important insurance and consider increasing your limit beyond the minimum amounts required by Washington.

Learn more about uninsured motorist protection in our recent article, Pedestrians, PIP and Uninsured Motorist Protection.