Everything You Should Know About Auto Insurance in Virginia

Everything You Should Know About Auto Insurance in Virginia

What is auto insurance? Auto insurance is a way to protect yourself financially in case of accidents or damage to your car. In this blog, we will review the steps and recommendations for purchasing auto insurance in Virginia. As we have told you in a previous blog, it is completely legal to not have auto insurance in Virginia and although it sounds crazy in our state it is legal to register your vehicle as uninsured at a DMV office.

 

Not only that, under current insurance laws, it is also possible for a Virginia resident to drive their car out of state without being insured. Likewise, we should note that if we wish to drive an uninsured car, we must pay $500 to the DMV in addition to the normal registration fees.

 

But we must stop and think that although it seems an economical and legal option, it is not the best idea, because it is a risk that is not worth taking. Because if you pay the Uninsured Motorist fee and then an accident occurs where you are found to be at fault, you will have to pay all the damages directly out of your pocket.

 

 

Now, let's learn a little bit about how insurance companies in Virginia work. For example, if you or a family member is involved in an accident caused by a drunk driver that leaves you in serious condition, it is likely that the person who was involved in the accident has an employer's insurance plan. However, there is a relatively new type of plan where insurance companies claim that if the accident was caused by someone else, they will want to be paid in full before the accident victim receives a single penny.

 

In other words, even if they manage to receive money from the drunk driver, the insurance company will want to be compensated for the expenses incurred. So, you might ask, why not sue the drunk driver? It is something you can do, but there are many different questions that arise, such as: does the driver have enough money to pay you? These questions may have different answers depending on the case:

 

• In the event that the drunk driver is unemployed, and has been sentenced to prison for the accident, he will not be able to pay you a penny.
• Also, if you win the case, he could file for bankruptcy protection, so you might as well forget about this possibility.

 

Now, the real question you should ask yourself now is this: Does your insurance company cover the expenses incurred by the uninsured driver? If the answer is NO, that is where as a Virginia Auto Accident Attorney, and with the long experience I have in this type of thing, we remind you of the importance of taking out full uninsured motorist coverage, thus allowing you to recover damages and to be fully covered in any situation that may arise. 

 

Now that we understand the importance of purchasing an auto insurance policy, we must also realize that insurance companies are not your friend, and it is estimated that about 50% of drivers in Virginia are uninsured or minimally insured. And why is that?

 

And why is that? Because the agents of these companies are not going to want to convince you to take the most comprehensive insurance protection. Most of the time they will tell you that you don't need that much protection, advising you not to pay more than you need to. But why don't they recommend that you purchase better coverage?

   

It's easy: because it's a great deal for you and your family and a lousy deal for them! Because you pay a little more money and get a little more protection. It may be the case that an insurer may refuse to sell you insurance if you have a bad driving record, but the truth is they can't do anything about uninsured drunk drivers.

   

Now, what is uninsured motorist coverage about? It is a type of coverage that insurance agents will most likely not offer you, this insurance plan, because it protects you in the event of an accident where the other party is at fault and does not have insurance or does not have an insurance policy capable of covering the damages.

 

In other words:

 

If you have a collision with an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, the insurer will reimburse you as if it were the other driver's insurance.

 It will also protect you if the other party has less coverage than you do.

So the next time your insurance advisor tells you that you probably don't need it, start hesitating and read the fine print of the insurance policy very carefully.

If you have been injured in an accident, it is important to speak with an attorney who can help you understand your rights and options. The team at Right Path Law Group at Law has more than 15 years of experience handling auto accident cases and we are here to help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today at 703-637-9999 for a free consultation and let us start fighting for you.