Become Your Own Car Insurance Specialist

As you well know, car insurance can get confusing very fast.  One reason is the unfamiliar terminology, not to mention all the abbreviations and acronyms.  How can you understand what’s being said if you don’t know all of these things mean?  Well, the fact is, knowing what these things mean isn’t all that difficult if you know where to look (like right here, for instance)!  You don’t have to feel like the insurance companies have you at their mercy.  Take control by making sure you know what they’re talking about.

So, here is a list of frequently used terms, abbreviations, and acronyms, and what they mean.

Liability insurance – this insurance covers damage caused in an accident for which you are responsible.  There are two types of liability insurance: bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD).  These cover, respectively, injury to people and damage to property.  This insurance is mandatory in most states and have minimum requirements for coverage.

Deductible – the amount of money you will pay yourself before insurance will kick in to pay for damages or loss.  The higher deductible you are willing to pay, the lower your monthly premiums will be. 

Comprehensive and Collision insurance (COMP and COLL) or Physical damage insurance – Comprehensive covers loss to your vehicle in scenarios other than a collision.  This would include things like it being stolen or damage from things like a flood or fire or animal and so on.  This insurance will be required if you have a loan or lease on your vehicle.

Collision (COLL) covers damage to your car when you it or it is hit by another car (or other object).  It pays to fix your vehicle less the deductible you have chosen.  You may wish to drop this coverage for older vehicles since its limits are set by the cash value of the vehicle covered.  If there is a loan or lease on the vehicle, this coverage is required.

Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage (UM) -- Covers you, the insured members of your household and your passengers for bodily and personal injuries (or death) caused by an at-fault uninsured or hit-and-run driver. If you are involved in an accident where the other driver is at fault but has no insurance, your policy will cover your medical expenses up to the limits set in your policy. 

Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage (UNDUM) – Same as above (UM) but applies to an underinsured at-fault driver.

Uninsured Property Damage coverage (UMPD) -- Covers your vehicle when property damage is caused by an insured motorist.

Underinsured Motorist Property Damage coverage  (UNDPD) – Same as above (UMPD) but the motorist is insure, but the coverage is not sufficient to pay for all damages.

These are the primary types of auto insurance coverage.  There are other types, which tend to be more specialized and some are available in very few states (some even only in single states).  Other types of coverage include personal injury protection (PIP), first party benefits (FPB), medical payments (MEDPM), loan/lease gap (LLG), and so on.