WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BUYING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE IN CONNECTICUT?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BUYING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE IN CONNECTICUT?

What did you pay for a movie in 1977? How about a half-gallon of milk or a loaf of bread? What did it cost you to get treated for broken leg? How much money did an elementary school teacher earn?

With the passage of time, the cost of everything has gone up. That includes the cost of repairing a car and paying “fair just and reasonable damages” negligently inflicted in a car crash. But during all of this time, the minimum insurance limits required to drive a car in Connecticut have not risen. The minimum has remained stagnant at $20,000 per person per car accident; $40,000 per car accident and $10,000 for property damage. This means that no one injured person can receive damages exceeding $20,000 and no matter the number of injured people, the aggregate damages cannot exceed $40,000 with a $10,000 limit to repair or replace all of the “other vehicles involved in the crash.” It should be time for a change.

On February 27 the State Legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee passed a bill to raise the minimum insurance limits to $40,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $20,000 for property damage. If passed by the majority of the House of Representatives and the State Senate and then signed by Governor Rell, it will be progress. Not only will the state government make some progress toward a more equitable system of legal accountability, but a requirement for increased coverage limits should provide some relief to people who now pay for drivers who are underinsured.

Of course, there are always two sides to a story and by increasing the minimum required insurance coverage the legislature may be inadvertently encouraging more people to drive without insurance in violation of Section 14-112 of the Connecticut General Statutes. But in all fairness, there must be realistic minimum responsibilities met in exchange for the privilege of registering a car and operating on the highways and roads of this state.

Meeting the minimum insurance requirements of the state is rarely adequate protection for you, your family members and people you may injure. Our web site, http://www.casperdetoledo.com/ has a broader discussion of considerations to undertake when purchasing automobile insurance in Connecticut.

You should make your feelings known about this and other legislation pending before the state legislature. Contact your State Representative and State Senator.