What Auto you Insurance need to know - Minnesota

1 Auto InsuranceAuto InsuranceA consumer information publicationWhatyouneedtoknowThe Minnesota Department of Commerce has prepared this guide to help you better understand autoinsurance. It gives you information on shopping for Insurance , the different types of coverage, and a basicunderstanding of no fault Minnesota Department of Commerce regulates Insurance agents, agencies, adjusters, and companiesoperating in Minnesota . If they are licensed to do business in the State, they are responsible for adheringto the laws and rules that govern the industry. This guide does not list all of these regulations. If youhave a question about your Insurance , please contact the Department s Consumer Response Team at651-296-2488, or toll free 800-657-3602. Duplication of this guide is encouraged. Please feel free to copy this information and share it with of CommerceAuto Insurance can protect you from the financial costs of anaccident or injur y, provided you have the proper coverage.

2 Yetmany people are unclear about what their Insurance policy cov-ers until it is too late. They may have difficulties settling a claimor face rate increases or termination of Insurance is a way of transferring risk for a lossamong a certain group of people. You, and others, pay premiumsto an Insurance company to be reimbursed if you have an acci-dent. The amount you can collect and under what circumstancesare outlined in your Under most circumstances, a licensed vehicle in thestate of Minnesota must have liability, personal injur y protection,uninsured motorist, and underinsured motorist coverage. Thesetypes of coverage are described below. Varied. The State of Minnesota has established minimum policyrequirements. Many people, however, choose options thatexceed these minimum requirements, thereby increasing thecost of the Insurance Is savings account.

3 The premium you pay is not deposited intoan account for you to withdraw in the event of an accident. If itwere, it would probably not be enough to cover the cost of amajor y policy has limitations on what it covers and towhat extent. You may not be fully covered in ever y policy will explain the Insurance company may elect to cancel yourcoverage or not to renew your policy, depending on your drivingrecord or other factors. Minnesota law establishes the standardsfor these cases. See Cancellation and Nonrenewal of a Policy,page 12. Department of Commerce1 Who Is Covered?You are covered by the policy in your name. Any relative living inyour home, who does not have a policy of his or her own, is cov-ered by YOUR policy. This includes a spouse, children, or aminor in your custody or the custody of a relative. A driver usingyour car with your permission, who is not covered by anotherpolicy, will be covered by your policy.

4 What Are the Types of Coverage?Personal Injur y Protection(PIP) provides basic economic lossbenefits. If you are injured in an accident, this portion of yourpolicy pays you and members of your household, within the stat-ed limits, for medical expenses, lost wages, and replacementser vices. These costs are paid no matter who is at fault. This iswhat is known as NO FAULT coverage (see page 5).Liabilitycovers claims to your policy from another driver. It isalso the portion of your policy that covers damages to another svehicle, within the stated limits, when an accident is your fault. Underinsured coveragepays, within stated limits, only formedical claims of those covered by your policy. These benefitsare in addition to your PIP benefits and are used when the otherdriver is held responsible for the accident and does not haveenough liability coverage to cover your medical for your medical expenses after you haveexhausted your PIP benefits and when the other driver is heldresponsible for the accident but is not covered by above types of coverage are required; the following are optional:Collisioncovers damage to your auto when you are involved inan accident with another vehicle or a loss that is NOT the result of a colli-sion.

5 This usually includes fire, theft, falling objects, or an acci-dent involving a of CommerceTo summarize the types of coverage Required coverage applies when you and others covered by your pol-icy are in an accident:You collect on your PIP benefits, regardless of whether you orthe other driver is at fault. This is the no-fault portion of your pol-icy; see page the other driver is at fault, you make a claim against his or herLIABILITY when your PIP benefits run out. You also can make aclaim for damage to your the other driver s liability is insufficient, you collect on yourUNDERINSURED benefits for PIP the other driver has no Insurance , you collect on your UNIN-SURED benefits for PIP coverage applies in cases of damage to your vehicle:As noted above, if the other driver is at fault you may make aclaim against that driver s liability coverage.

6 If you are at fault,damage to your vehicle as a result of an accident with anothervehicle or object is covered under the COLLISION portion ofyour policy. If your vehicle is stolen or damaged by vandalism, fire, or impactwith a deer, you are covered under theCOMPREHENSIVEpor-tion of your policy. Department of Commerce3 What about coverage of rental cars? Minnesota law requires ever y automobile Insurance policy, underthe property damage liability portion, to provide a minimum of$35,000 in coverage, without a deductible, for damage to, andloss of use of, a rental car (including pickup trucks and vansunder 26,000 pounds). State law further specifies that when adriver rents a vehicle in Minnesota , a separate notice must beattached to the rental contract that informs the driver of this cov-erage. The notice must also state: purchase of any collision dam-age waiver or similar Insurance affected in this rental contract isnot necessar y if your policy was issued in Minnesota .

7 The samelaw requires that no collision damage waiver or other insuranceaffecting the rented vehicle can be sold unless the person rent-ing the vehicle acknowledges in writing that the consumer pro-tection notice has been read and about coverage when you loan your car to a friend? What if you loan your car to a friend, and he or she has an acci-dent? If any of your friends who are driving your automobile havean automobile Insurance policy, their injuries will be coveredunder their own policy, not yours. If they are not covered undertheir own policy, and no one in their household is covered undera policy, the basic economic loss benefits will be paid from pays for damage to the car, however, is not quite so car will always be covered under your own policy aslong as the policy carries comprehensive and collisioncoverage.

8 Under certain circumstances, however, thepolicy covering the other vehicle may pay for dam-age to your car. Check your policy under the defi-nition of your covered auto. 4 Department of CommerceWhat Is No-Fault Coverage?No-Fault coverage is widely misunderstood. Many drivers believethat their Insurance company will cover ALL losses in an acci-dent, regardless of who is at fault. But no-fault coverage appliesONLY to expenses resulting from injuries sustained in an acci-dent. Here are some other facts about no-fault:No-fault is a Minnesota law. It was established to help ease theburden of courts and to ensure prompt treatment for IS the Personal Injur y Protection (PIP) on your policy,sometimes referred to as Basic Economic Loss covers your medical costs, wage loss, replacement ser v-ices such as housekeeping, and in the event of death, $2,000 offuneral claims are first made on your own PIP.

9 If expenses thenprove greater than the PIP limit on your policy, or you attainspecified thresholds, you may make a claim against the other dri-ver s liability coverage if the other driver is found to be no-fault coverage is $40,000. That amount is available toeach person injured in an accident; $20,000 is allowed for medicalexpenses and $20,000 may be used for non-medical beyond these minimum amounts may be usually does not apply to accidents when you are ridingyour motorcycle or snowmobile. You must purchase a separateinsurance policy covering these vehicles, and the policies will notinclude personal injur y protection. PIP coverage for snowmobilesor motorcycles can, however, be purchased separately. No-fault claims must be made within six months of the must include proof of expenses, complete an application forbenefits, and submit to a medical examination if requested.

10 Billsshould be submitted to the Insurance company as they come of Commerce5 Minimum Coverage RequirementsMinnesota requires all licensed vehicles to have PIP, Liability,Uninsured, and Underinsured coverage in the following amounts:Type of CoverageMinimum Amount RequiredPersonal Injury Protection (PIP)$40,000 per person per accident($20,000 for hospital/medical expenses and$20,000 for non-medical expenses such as lostwages, replacement services, etc.)Liability$30,000 for injuries to one person$60,000 for injuries to two or more people$10,000 for physical damage to the other driver svehicle or for damage to propertyUninsured$25,000 for injuries to one person$50,000 for injuries to two or more peopleUnderinsured$25,000 for injuries to one person$50,000 for injuries to two or more peopleIf you have a loan on your vehicle, the lienholder, as the legalowner of the car, will require you to carr y comprehensive andcollision coverage.