Why do you need Uninsured/Underinsured bodily injury and property coverage on your auto policy?
Uninsured/Underinsured coverage provides coverage for you when you are hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have high enough limits to cover the amount of damage. Make sure to get a quote & ask your agent about uninsured motorist coverage.
So when Joe Schmo t-bones you and then drives off, you’re left to fix the damages on your own. You can use your uninsured coverage to file a claim with your insurance without it counting against you as an at-fault accident. It will still show up on your insurance report, but you won’t be heavily penalized like you would if you had an at-fault claim.
If you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, your only option would be to use your normal collision coverage which would count against you as an at fault accident.
And, one important thing to remember when filing an uninsured motorist claim is that a lot of carriers require a police report to use that coverage, so be sure to always file a police report if you are involved in a hit and run accident.
