Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!amd!vecpyr!lll-crg!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!bill From: bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) Newsgroups: net.legal,net.auto Subject: Re: Uninsured motorism Message-ID: <570@utastro.UUCP> Date: Sat, 17-Aug-85 00:25:42 EDT Article-I.D.: utastro.570 Posted: Sat Aug 17 00:25:42 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 06:54:57 EDT References: <202@SCIRTP.UUCP> <378@kontron.UUCP> <586@ttidcc.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX Lines: 42 Xref: linus net.legal:1738 net.auto:6673 > In article <748@lsuc.UUCP> msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) writes: > > > >Which suggests that, in jurisdictions where motorists are allowed > >not to have insurance (that's most of them in North America, isn't it?), > >insurance companies should sell policies that protect you not only > >against your own liability but also against that of the uninsured > >driver who runs into you. > > > As a matter of fact, this is quite standard, even in states > where liability insurance is required by law(such as California). > I have had Uninsured Driver insurance since I first owned a car! > The main problem with it is of course the deductible and the maximum > coverage. It also adds a small amount to your premiums. > The point I was trying to make when I posted the article about uninsured motorist coverage, is that it is possible (in some jurisdictions, at least) to get very substantial coverage for very low marginal cost over the basic uninsured motorist coverage, that would cover you in the unlikely event that you were seriously injured by someone who did not have adequate coverage. It is not hard to imagine cases where your actual damages (including medical, disability, etc.) could these days run into six digits. As I pointed out, my attorney has seen a number of cases where people were in this boat and had no recourse because the person who caused the accident wasn't adequately covered and didn't have assets to cover any judgement. If you have a couple of hundred thousand in medical bills and disability (inability to continue to work for a living) this is just the situation that insurance is intended for -- to cover the *devastating* losses that you can't afford to take. The marginal cost for *adequate* uninsured motorist coverage in Texas is really quite low. This is probably the case in many states. -- "Men never do evil so cheerfully and so completely as when they do so from religious conviction." -- Blaise Pascal Bill Jefferys 8-% Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (USnail) {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill (uucp) bill%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA (ARPANET)