For many people, it is very expensive to insure a car. Some insurance companies tout “saving 10%” or “only getting what you need”, or the “lowest premiums”. Unfortunately, when it comes to automobile insurance, paying less translates to minimum coverage. So, when you suffer serious injuries in a crash caused by a driver who has minimum policy limits, you may be putting yourself in a very bad position.

The most effective way to monetarily protect yourself is with Supplemental Underinsured Motorist (SUM) coverage. This piece of insurance is separate from liability, no-fault, or collision coverage. SUM is another kind of coverage included in your automobile insurance policy that applies when the “at-fault” driver’s policy limits are not enough to pay your damages.

“S” stands for supplemental. “U” stands for underinsured. “M” stands for motorist. The SUM coverage, for which you will pay extra, adds a layer of monetary protection. A car can legally drive on the highways in New York with a minimum liability policy of $25,000.00. This would allow one injured person to receive up to $25,000.00 for injuries as serious as a leg fracture with surgery, a brain injury, paralysis, or some other serious injury with permanent effects. In that case, you would be left asking where the money is going to come from to make up for the trauma you’ve suffered.

The answer, in part, is by increasing your own SUM limits to insure yourself. Without it, you are essentially relying on the policy limits or choice of coverage of a total stranger to take care of you when that stranger injures you. By increasing your own protections under your personal policy, you are buying additional compensation for your own pain and suffering, wage loss, and medical bills.

It is important to be aware of this option. Ask your insurance agent to increase your SUM limits. It’s simple and the agent will understand exactly what you are talking about. When shopping policies, the cheapest rate will likely mean that you are leaving out an important piece of the policy. That decision could either leave you worse off than you would like, or relieved to know that you’ve adequately protected yourself.

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