There are six categories of Wisconsin car insurance, and it pays to know what your policy covers. Some categories cover bodily injuries and others damage to property. Here is a summary:
Property damage coverage, which includes:
- Property damage liability: cover for damage caused by you, or a designated driver, to someone else’s property, not only to vehicles but other property such as poles, fences or buildings.
- Collision damage liability: this covers you for damage to your own car, as a result of a collision or rolling, even if you are at fault.
- Comprehensive cover: this generally covers you for damage to your own car, including a cracked windshield, from such things as fire, flood, hail, earthquake, theft, vandalism, a falling object or certain other factors.
Bodily Injury coverage includes:
- Bodily Injury Liability: for injuries caused to someone else by you or a designated driver. This can prove very costly in the case of a serious accident so it is important to have enough cover.
- Medical Payments or PIP (Personal Injury Protection): to cover you for injuries to yourself and the vehicle’s passengers by someone else. It may include medical bills and lost earnings.
A final type of auto insurance is Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage, to reimburse you if a driver with insufficient insurance, or none at all, causes damages or injuries to you.
Insurance can be complex, but it pays to know fully what is available, and to be very familiar with the benefits, limitations and exclusions of any type of cover you take out.