Do you own a car? Do your spouse or children drive it? Guess who is responsible if they injure another person while operating your vehicle. You are!

Please check the face sheet of your insurance policy. If you own a home, you should carry Liability Insurance in an amount that will protect your biggest asset. Speak to your insurance broker about how much is enough. Call us if you would like a second opinion.

Just as important as liability insurance is the amount of Uninsurance and Underinsurance coverage that you carry. Take a look at that face sheet of your policy again. You will see a box with the initials "UM/UIM". That coverage is for you in case you are injured by another car that doesn't have any liability insurance or carries too little liability insurance.

We recently represented a lovely woman who lost her leg when she was pinned between two cars that hit each other in an intersection. We sued the owners of both cars. Unfortunately, one vehicle had $25,000 of liability insurance (the minimum under New York State law), while the other vehicle was completely uninsured (a violation punishable only by the driver losing his license). The uninsured owner had no other assets to pursue. Too many irresponsible people are driving around with no insurance or the minimum amount. The lesson of this story: if you own a car, you should carry UM/UIM coverage in the same amount as your liability coverage. That way, if you are tragically injured by someone with an insufficient amount of insurance, you can make a claim to your own insurance company to compensate you for your injuries, pain and suffering.

Believe it or not, it is one of the cheapest insurance products sold. You owe it to yourself to carry as much UM/UIM coverage as you can afford! Ask your insurance broker how much it would cost you to have at least $250,000 of liability and UM/UIM coverage. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your insurance coverage. In the meantime, drive defensively!