Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Claims
The coverage that pays when the at-fault driver cannot, and the two structures that change its value.
It insures against other people's decisions
Uninsured motorist coverage responds when the at-fault driver has no insurance or cannot be identified. Underinsured motorist coverage responds when they have insurance but not enough. In serious injuries the second situation is far more common than the first, because minimum limits are low almost everywhere.
Excess against offset changes everything
In excess states, your underinsured limit stacks on top of what the other driver pays. In offset states, your limit is reduced by their payment, so a hundred thousand limit behind a thirty thousand policy adds only seventy. People buy the same nominal coverage in both states and receive very different protection.
Stacking can multiply the limit
Where permitted, limits can be combined across vehicles on the same policy. A household with three insured cars may have three times the coverage it thinks it has. Whether stacking applies depends on state law and on whether it was waived in writing when the policy was bought.
It is a first-party claim against your own insurer
That changes the dynamic. Your insurer is now the paying party, and the same policy conditions that protect you — notice requirements, cooperation, consent before settling with the other driver — can also defeat the claim. Settling with the at-fault driver without your insurer's consent is the classic way to lose it.
It frequently follows the person
Many policies extend this cover to you as a pedestrian, a cyclist, or a passenger in someone else's vehicle. That is why checking your own declarations page is worthwhile even in an incident that had nothing to do with your car.
Common questions
Will using it raise my premium?
A not-at-fault claim generally should not, though practice varies. It is usually the cheapest coverage on the policy for the protection it gives.
Can I claim both medical payments and UIM?
Often yes, though coordination rules and reimbursement rights vary by state and policy.