Why add comprehensive and collision to the state minimum required insurance?

When you purchase your state minimum auto insurance from Linda Dugan Insurance, you protect yourself from liability if you cause an accident on the road. But we want Astoria, OR residents to understand why they need the elective coverages, too, like comprehensive and collision.

When you add comprehensive and collision coverage to your policy, you protect your vehicle and your investment. The state requires you to carry insurance that protects the other people on the road, but comprehensive and collision insurance protects you. It pays you to repair or replace your vehicle when it incurs damage.

Let’s say your vehicle gets struck by lightning. Your comprehensive coverage pays for that as an act of God. Many of the named perils in insurance policies are called “acts of God.” It simply means occurrences for which the insured could not have planned. Since you cannot sue the lightning as you could if someone had struck your vehicle, the insurance pays for the repairs needed. Other perils typically included in this type of coverage include hail, wind, hurricane, wildfire, and earthquake.

Collision covers repair or replacement of your vehicle if you hit a mailbox, fence, etc. Although it was your error in driving, the insurance still pays.
Adding these two types of policy coverage typically constitutes full coverage. You might also want to add a few other coverages though. Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection  (PIP), and rental car coverage all prove very useful if you have an accident.

Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage helps you pay for repairs or replacement of your vehicle if the person at fault for the accident did not have insurance or had too little coverage.

PIP coverage helps pay your medical bills if the person at fault for the accident did not have insurance or if you caused an accident in which you or your vehicle’s passengers incurred injuries. If you hit a tree, your collision covers the damage to the car, but not your medical bills. PIP covers medical bills.

Rental car coverage pays for your rental car while your vehicle undergoes repairs or you wait for the insurance money to purchase a new vehicle. The coverage usually includes a time limit, such as a week, but you can increase that by adding coverage. This does increase the premium.

Contact Linda Dugan Insurance serving Astoria, OR for more information on the importance of full coverage auto insurance. Let us help you create the auto insurance policy that serves all of your needs.