Auto Insurance Buyer's Guide
Compulsory
Insurance Parts 1-4
1. Bodily Injury to Others
pays for damages (e.g. medical expenses, pain and suffering) to
anyone injured or killed by your car only in an accident that
occurs in Massachusetts, up to a basic limit of $20,000 per person
and $40,000 per accident. Injuries to the driver or passengers in
your car are not covered under this Part; please refer to Personal
Injury Protection (Part 2) for information about that coverage.
2. Personal Injury Protection
pays up to $8,000 to you or anyone you let drive your car, anyone
living in your household, passengers and pedestrians, no matter
who causes the accident. Personal Injury Protection pays for
medical expenses, replacement services and 75% of any lost wages.
3. Bodily Injury Caused By An Uninsured Auto
protects you, anyone you let drive your car, household members and
passengers (unless covered by another Massachusetts Policy with
similar coverage) against losses caused by an uninsured or
unidentified ("hit and run") driver. A minimum limit of $20,000
per person and $40,000 per accident is required. This coverage
does not pay for property damage or damage to your auto.
4. Damage to Someone Else's Property
pays for damage to another person's property and costs associated
with the loss of use of that property, when you, a household
member or another authorized driver cause an accident. A minimum
limit of $5,000 is required.
Optional
Insurance Parts 5-12
5. Optional Bodily Injury to Others
extends your liability protection (the basic $20,000/$40,000
limits under Bodily Injury to Others) up to the amount your
purchase under this part. This option provides coverage for
accidents beyond Massachusetts to anywhere in the United States,
its territories or possessions, or Canada. This coverage also
pays for damages suffered by guests in your auto.
6. Medical Payments
covers medical expenses for you, your household members and
passengers, over and above amounts covered by Personal Injury
Protection no matter who caused the accident. The minimum amount
you can buy is $5,000 if insuring an automobile and $500 if
insuring a motorcycle.
7. Collision
pays for collision damage to your car, less any applicable
deductible, no matter who causes the accident. If your car is
financed, your lender may require this coverage as well as a
particular deductible amount.
8. Limited Collision
also pays for collision damage to your car. You must not be more
than 50% at fault and the owner of the other vehicle must be
identified.
9. Comprehensive
pays for damage to or loss of your car, less any applicable
deductible, resulting from perils such as fire, theft, vandalism,
and striking an animal, but not collision. This coverage allows
up to $15 a day (to a limit of $450) for substitute transportation
(rental or other transportation costs including taxi, bus and
train fare) until your stolen auto is recovered. Personal property
is not covered unless it is permanently installed in your car,
such as a tape deck. If your car is financed, your lender may
require this coverage.
10. Substitute Transportation
reimburses up to $15 per day for car rental or transportation
costs including taxi, bus and train fare (up to $450), while your
car is undergoing collision or covered repairs.
Higher limits of
$30 or $100 a day (up to total limits of $900 or $3,000) are
available for additional premium.
Even if you have this coverage, some car rental agencies may
refuse to rent to you if you are under a certain age, are a poor
credit risk, do not have an acceptable credit card or have an
unacceptable driving record.
11. Towing and Labor
pays up to $25 for towing and labor charges each time your car
breaks down whether or not there is an accident involved. You are
covered only for the on-site labor costs at the breakdown site
(not any parts) needed to get your car running again. Coverage of
up to $50 OR $100 per disablement is available at an additional
cost.
12. Bodily Injury Caused By An Underinsured Auto
pays for bodily injury damages to you, your household members and
passengers, unless they have a policy of their own, or are covered
by a Massachusetts auto policy of another household member with
similar coverage. The accident must be caused by someone without
enough bodily injury coverage. It pays you up to the difference
between the total amount collected from the bodily injury
liability insurance covering the owner and driver of the other
car, and the limits you purchased for coverage.
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