Most people buy car insurance the way they shop for anything else. They look for the lowest number and move on.
This is completely understandable. Insurance can be confusing, and as you might be fully aware of already, premiums can be expensive. Not to mention, nobody wants to think about a hypothetical car accident.
Attorney Zach Schiff has spent years sitting across the table from people after that accident has already happened, holding a policy that doesn’t cover what they need it to.
At Schiff & Associates, our attorneys have represented more than 50,000 clients and recovered billions of dollars on their behalf, including hundreds of millions of dollars in auto accident cases alone.
Below, Zach walks through his recommendations for auto insurance coverage, including the biggest mistake he sees most often, what he tells his own clients to buy and why a $30-a-month savings on your premium can end up costing you everything.
5 Auto Coverage Recommendations From an Ohio Injury Attorney
Below are five recommendations from an experienced Ohio injury attorney to help guide your auto insurance coverage decisions.
1. Buy More Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) Coverage
If Zach could change one thing about how Ohio drivers shop for insurance, it would be this: buy more Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.
“The most common coverage gap I see is that a client doesn’t have enough UM/UIM coverage under their own policy,” Zach says.
Ohio requires drivers to carry a minimum of $25,000 in liability coverage, but UM/UIM coverage is not required at all.
That means a driver can be fully legal on Ohio roads while carrying no protection whatsoever for the moment someone else hits them without adequate insurance, or without any insurance at all.
Attorney Zach Schiff, who was the source behind the recommendations in this post.
This scenario happens more than you would think. In 2023, Ohio ranked 12th in the United States in terms of the rate of uninsured drivers (18.5%), according to data from the Insurance Information Institute.
When one of them causes a wreck, the injured person’s own UM/UIM coverage is often the only source of recovery available.
Zach’s advice is to get as much UM/UIM coverage as you can afford, and if you carry an umbrella policy, confirm that it extends to your UM/UIM coverage too. Many people assume their umbrella policy automatically covers everything when that’s not always the case.
Why Ohio’s Minimum Liability Coverage Isn’t Really “Coverage”
Ohio’s $25,000 minimum liability requirement might sound like protection, but in a serious accident, it rarely functions like it.
“It is often that the state minimum $25,000 of liability coverage isn’t enough to fully compensate the seriously injured victim of an auto accident,” Zach explains.
When that happens, the injured person has to turn to UM/UIM coverage, either on the vehicle they were in or on their own policy, to try to close the gap.
UM/UIM coverage only helps if it’s higher than the at-fault driver’s liability coverage. If your UM/UIM limit is equal to or lower than the at-fault driver’s liability limit, your UM/UIM coverage has no exposure and provides no additional payout.
In other words, matching the state minimum on your own UM/UIM coverage can mean that the only coverage you really have is in name only.
Case Example: Why the $25,000 Minimum Isn’t Enough
One of Zach’s past cases tragically demonstrated that having only the minimum liability coverage is risky.
In this case, a drunk driver hit Zach’s client and left her paralyzed from the neck down, requiring a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
The at-fault driver had no insurance and no assets to pursue. Because he had been drinking alone at home before getting behind the wheel, there was no bar or establishment to pursue a dram shop claim against either.
The client’s only source of recovery was her own UM/UIM coverage, and she had carried the state minimum of $25,000. That $25,000 was the entire amount available to compensate her for a catastrophic, lifelong injury.
This is obviously a very dire example, but it’s one of those things that you don’t think about until it happens to you. It’s why Zach recommends buying as much UM/UIM coverage as you can reasonably afford.
2. Carry Adequate Liability Insurance, and Match It to Your Personal Assets
When clients ask Zach what liability limits to carry, he frames his answer as a question:
“What do you have to protect?”
He recommends carrying as much liability insurance as you can afford, and matching that coverage to your net worth and assets.
The reasoning being that if you cause a serious accident and your liability policy doesn’t cover the damages, you can be sued personally for the difference. This can leave you and your family’s personal finances vulnerable.
3. Don’t Skip Out on Medical Payments Coverage (Med Pay)
Medical Payments coverage, or Med Pay, isn’t required in Ohio, making it one of the most underused coverages on the market.
Zach recommends opting for medical payments coverage, especially for drivers with limited or no health insurance.
Med Pay exists to help cover medical bills while a case is still working its way through the system (which can take months).
Without it, injured clients are often left holding outstanding medical balances during that entire period. This creates financial stressors on top of the physical recovery you may be undergoing.
4. Don’t Just Buy the Cheapest Auto Insurance Policy You Can Find
Ask most people why they picked their insurance policy, and some version of “because it was the lowest price” is usually the answer.
This is, of course, understandable. We’re all trying to save money at the end of the day, and insurance is not necessarily a fun expense.
But going the least expensive route on insurance comes with a trade-off that can cost you.
“You don’t want to be in a situation where you have over a million dollars in assets but only $25,000 in liability coverage,” Zach says, “because you may be sued by the injured party and personally owe more than what the policy covers.”
The same logic applies on the other side of the accident. Going the less expensive route on your own UM/UIM coverage can lower or negate your compensation if you’re seriously hurt in an accident.
5. Be Proactive About Auto Insurance Coverage
This might be rather obvious if you’ve read this far, but being proactive about auto coverage can protect you against financially debilitating situations.
Another example of this involves a rule called modified comparative negligence that Ohio follows.
Basically, if you’re in an accident and found to be 50% or less at fault, you can still recover damages, though your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you’re found to be more than 50% at fault, you can’t recover anything from the other driver.
That rule, combined with Ohio’s high rate of uninsured drivers, is another reason why Zach pushes clients to think about their own coverage before any accident (car, truck or motorcycle) occurs.
Think of it like this: liability insurance alone protects other people from your mistakes. UM/UIM and Med Pay protect you from theirs.
Getting as much comprehensive coverage as you can afford is the best way to avoid an unfortunate post-accident financial scenario.
Need Guidance on Your Auto Coverage Policy?
Nobody plans to be in a car accident, let alone seriously injured by an underinsured driver. But it can happen, and if you’re not prepared, the costs can be substantial.
If you’re reviewing your policy, here are three questions you can ask to gauge whether you have adequate coverage or not:
- How much UM/UIM coverage do I actually carry, and is it higher than the state minimum?
- Does my liability coverage match what I have to lose?
- Do I have Med Pay to bridge the gap if I’m hurt?
If you’ve already been in an accident and you’re not sure whether your coverage, or the other driver’s, is enough to cover what you’re facing, our auto accident attorneys can help you understand your options and what you’re entitled to recover.
Reach out today for a free case review or consultation. See the video below from one of our other attorneys, Keith Shepardson, on what to expect during a personal injury consultation.