02/07/2022
The state of Missouri requires automobile insurance to include Uninsured Motorist coverage. What does Uninsured Motorist cover? Here is a broad explanation of what protection one will have with Uninsured Motorist coverage. The required coverage is for bodily injury. If another person causes bodily injury, with a motor vehicle, to you and/or passengers in your vehicle, Uninsured Motorist is available to pay under the following occurrences: 1) Automobile liability insurance is not purchased for the vehicle. Statistic shows 1 in 8 drivers do not have liability insurance coverage.
2) Hit and run accidents. The person who caused the accident leaves the accident scene. 3) Person driving a non-owned vehicle without permission from the vehicle owner. This includes stolen vehicles. Liability coverage is negated if it is driven without permission. Uninsured Motorist can cover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and funeral expenses. Your Uninsured Motorist can also cover you, if you are a pedestrian, and are struck by an automobile. A common misconception is, the required Uninsured Motorist covers damage to your vehicle if someone does not have liability coverage. Uninsured Motorist covers only bodily injury. However, Uninsured Motorist Property Damage can be added to your automobile policy for an additional premium, but it is not required by the state of Missouri. Hopefully, this gives you a general understanding of Uninsured Motorist coverage. For specifics of a company's coverage, contact your agent, as there may be some variances by insurance company.