Woodland Hills personal injury attorney, Barry P. Goldberg, urges his friends, family and clients to double check their Uninsured Motorist coverage this Holiday season. It is definitely a “lump of coal” in your stocking when you discover that the driver that caused a serious accident which nearly destroyed your Holiday season was uninsured. What’s worse—-is that you thought you had “full coverage” but that you either did not have Uninsured motorist coverage or, more often, that the coverage was inadequate.
Intuitively, most people know that the Holiday season is also the car accident season. In Southern California people just have a hard time driving in the rain—-maybe, we are just not used to it! Rain not only creates slick roadways but hampers full vision which is the single most important factor in avoiding accidents. Now, add in rushing for Holiday shopping and Christmas parties where drivers have had a little too much Holiday cheer and “Whamo!”
Unfortunately, in California we have a “self-policing” system of requiring insurance. The DMV finds out about no insurance (which is illegal) only after an accident. By then, it is too late. To complicate matters, California is estimated to have approximately 2 million uninsured drivers! That number guarantees that a high amount of traffic accidents will necessarily involve uninsured motorists.
What can you reasonably do about it? Well, most California drivers will be pleasantly surprised to learn that Uninsured Motorist coverage is relatively cheap. Our informal surveys have shown that Uninsured Motorist coverage can be doubled or even tripled for less than $100. Even if you are busy, you can call your insurer or order the additional coverage online. Many carriers, like State Farm, have agents who could recommend proper levels of coverage to protect you and your family.
Better yet, contact an independent insurance agent for a quote. In many cases, an independent insurance agent can save you enough money on other portions of your policy that the additional Uninsured Motorist coverage is practically free! If saving money was not enough of an incentive, the higher degree of service and professionalism is well worth establishing the insurance agency relationship. My experience is that these independent agents go above and beyond the call of duty to earn your business by demonstrating how you can increase coverage and save money at the same time.
Give you and your family the important gift of security from Uninsured Motorists this Holiday!
