Tips for Being Adequately Insured in Oregon

Following the law regarding auto insurance while driving in Oregon means being up on more than a few statutes and rules regarding minimum levels of coverage and how damages are managed if there is an accident. Oregon, like most states in the Union, has minimum levels of protection required for liability in order to be able to legally drive or operate a vehicle on roads and highways. These minimums also include personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage as well. The minimum levels required and a brief explanation of each are as follows:

• $25,000/$50,000 Bodily Injury Liability: Bodily injury liability is coverage to pay for the medical injuries that are caused to someone else in an accident that is your fault. The first number - $25,000 is the most that can be paid out to treat a single person's injuries or medical expenses. The second number is the maximum that will be paid out in an accident if more than one person is injured (say a car with 3 people, each having $20,000 worth of injuries, only $50,000 will be paid, divided among them, to compensate their medical expenses.
• $10,000 Property Damage: Property damage protection is used to pay for the damage to the property of others (or the state) if you are involved in an accident. The $10,000 represents the maximum amount that will be paid for by the provider.
• $25,000/$50,000 Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury: Uninsured/Underinsured motorist protection is an add-on required in Oregon that is designed to protect drivers from bearing the full brunt of their own expenses if they are involved in an accident with someone whose is either driving illegally without insurance or does not have enough protection to pay for your injuries. The $25,000 is the most that will be paid to treat a single person's injuries and the $50,000 represents the maximum that will be paid out across all injuries sustained by any number of persons in your car.
• $15,000 Personal Injury Protection: PIP is a versatile product that provides reimbursement for you in a variety of situations, such as if you are a pedestrian and you are struck by an motorist without a policy or a hit-and-run driver. PIP will also provide additional coverage for you and passengers in your car if your other insurance runs out before expenses are reimbursed. Finally, PIP will also help to pay for the medical or funeral expenses for a pedestrian that you hit.

Driving without minimum levels of protection as prescribed by the state of Oregon carries with it stiff penalties and fines which you are caught that can also lead to a suspension of your driver's license and the possibility of having your vehicle impounded. Repeated offenses can see a piling on of fees, tickets and fines so expensive that repaying them can become a significant financial burden. The average cost of insuring a vehicle is in keeping with the national average which leads some to believe that the prices are fixed by the state.