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Illinois Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage (Part A)

Illinois state law requires drivers to carry a minimum of $20,000/$40,000 in uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on their Illinois car insurance policy. This coverage protects you as a driver from normal car accidents, hit-and-run, and car accidents in a no-fault state.

The Basics of Uninsured Motorist Insurance

The purpose of underinsured motorist coverage is to protect the policyholder and (in most policies) any immediate family that resides with them. If the other driver in your car accident was not adequately covered by Illinois car insurance, or had no insurance at all, you may have trouble obtaining compensation for your medical bills.

Uninsured motorist insurance means your insurance company will pay for medical expenses and lost wages up to the limits set on your policy. If your medical expenses exceed any coverage the other driver has (if they have coverage at all), your own insurance then steps in to cover the balance.

For example, let's say you are in a car accident with a driver who only has the minimum $20,000/$40,000 Illinois car insurance. You suffer injuries that cost you $30,000, but only $20,000 of those can be claimed from the other drivers' insurance. As long as you carry the state minimum of $20,000 in underinsured motorist coverage, the remaining $10,000 will be taken care of by your own insurance company.

The Difference Between Underinsured and Uninsured

The actual insurance works basically the same for both underinsured and uninsured coverage: the policy covers approved claims up to the amount set on your policy, should the other driver not have adequate coverage. However, how much your insurance company has to pay is determined by whether the other driver had any insurance at all.

In an underinsured motorist coverage claim, the other driver did have insurance, but the amounts they carried were not enough to compensate you for your damages. In this case, your own underinsured motorist coverage needs to have a high enough limit to cover for the excess.

Generally, the only time your underinsured motorist coverage applies is when your limits are higher than the at-fault driver's policy limits. If they are equal, you will not have an underinsured motorist claim even if your damages exceed the policy limits.

In an uninsured motorist insurance claim, the other driver had no insurance at all. In this case, your own uninsured motorist insurance coverage will have to pay for all your claimed damages up to the limits on your policy.

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