Mandatory Washington car insurance coverage
Bodily injury
If the policyholder or another driver covered by the Washington auto insurance policy is found to be at fault in an accident resulting in injuries or fatalities, the following is covered under bodily injury coverage:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Legal defense if the drivers listed on the policy are involved in a lawsuit resulting from a car accident
Bodily injury coverage pays for damages caused to a third party.
How much protection does this coverage provide?
The dual coverage limits you select in your auto insurance quote refer to the maximum amount that will be paid per person, per incident, respectively.
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Property damage
If you or another covered driver is found to be at fault in an accident, the following is covered under property damage coverage:
- Damage to another person's property (e.g., fence, car, or home)
- Legal costs associated with a damage incident
How much protection does this coverage provide?
The coverage limit you set in your auto insurance quote refers to the maximum amount that will be paid per accident.
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Optional Washington auto insurance coverage
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Personal Injury Protection coverage is optional in Washington.
If you decide to purchase PIP, you can choose limits of either $10,000 or $35,000. The same types of protection are available under each plan, but limits of $35,000 will generally provide higher payments on covered expenses. PIP helps pay for:
- Medical expenses – PIP covers your medical expenses if you or your passengers are injured in an auto accident.
- Income continuation – If you or your passengers are unable to work due to accident-related injuries within one year of being injured, PIP helps you recover your lost wages.
- Substitute services – Should you or your covered passengers need help performing household or other tasks due to accident-related injuries, PIP also helps pay for such essential services.
- Funeral expenses – If a covered individual dies from accident-related injuries, PIP will pay $2,000 to the insured's designated beneficiary.
PIP provides coverage to the policyholder, resident relatives of the policyholder, passengers without PIP, and authorized drivers of the insured vehicle.
How much protection does this coverage provide?
All PIP coverages have an aggregate limit of $10,000 or $35,000 per person, per incident, depending on the coverage level you choose. This means the maximum amount you'll receive for any combination of auto insurance coverages will be $10,000 or $35,000.
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Underinsured motorist bodily injury
Underinsured motorist bodily injury is an optional coverage that pays for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages when policyholders, authorized drivers, or passengers are injured in an accident caused by a driver who has insufficient auto insurance coverage.
Specifically, when the other driver in an accident is underinsured, this coverage pays the difference between your coverage limit and the other driver's bodily injury coverage limit.
The dual coverage limits refer to the maximum amounts that will be paid per person, per accident, respectively. If the accident costs are more than the limit you purchase, you will have to pay for the amount over the limit yourself (but note that if you have separate health insurance, it may cover some or all of that expense).
The limits you select for this coverage cannot be higher than the limits you choose for your bodily injury liability coverage. Also, if you want to carry this coverage on multiple vehicles, your limits must be the same for each vehicle.
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Underinsured motorist property damage
Underinsured motorist property damage is an optional auto insurance coverage that protects a policyholder if his/her vehicle is damaged in an accident involving a driver who has insufficient insurance. If the other driver involved in an accident is underinsured, this auto insurance coverage pays the difference between your coverage limit and the other driver's property damage coverage limit.
The limit you select for this auto insurance coverage cannot exceed the limit you select for your property damage liability coverage. If you choose to carry this coverage for more than one vehicle, the underinsured motorist property damage limits for each car must all be the same.