No matter what, this is my lowest option, and I can't think of last time when I had to even talk about why get lower limits of liability.
I am now at a conclusion that my new minimum limit is $250,000/$500,000/$100,000, or $500,000/$500,000/$100,000 and talking to everyone about $500,000 combined single limit. No exceptions.
Why?
The difference in premium is insignificant; in most cases we are talking about $40-$90 a yr difference.
It's a right thing to do. As an agent I have to do my best to advise my clients for what's good for them. Not what's good for me, or insurance carrier, but the client. (For example Geico often sells state minimum limits of liability. Why? I think it's because of this: You are paying $1,000 a yr for your auto insurance, and Geico is only covering you for $200,000. If you pay $1,100 a yr Geico gets extra 10% out of you, but Geico could pay $500,000 (250% more or $300,000 more). If you are Geico this additional $100 is not as worth as that first $1,000.) As a consumer I want to protect myself and I want my hard earned money to be spent where it matters. $50 spent on extra coverage is money better spent than $50 spent into abyss.
Best case scenario is I spend a lifetime of buying high limits of insurance and spending $50 extra a yr for this coverage, for nothing, I hurt no one and no one hurts me. In 60 yrs of buying insurance I would of spend extra $5,000 let's say; but if there is one time I get in a even a smallest accident (very likely that it will happen) I and person I hurt is covered. Being involved in an accident is crazy business. You will have payments out of your pockets, you will be late somewhere, you will be hurt, you will be angry, there will not be a road map on how to deal with things, you will be confused, you will question everything. Many little things combined will make any accident an awful experience. Even a smallest accident can be a life changing experience, so for extra $50 a year don't make it one that puts you and others in financial peril. With accidents there is one thing you can control and that is how much your finance will suffer, everything else is out of your control.
If you are thinking well I am a good, careful driver, I don't need high limits of liability, think again. In VT 1 in 6 people drive without any insurance. I don't have statistics on this, but conservative guesstimate based on 10 yrs experience is that 1 in 6 also has state minimum limits of liability ($25,000 per person $50,000 per accident) and probably 1 in 6 has other liability limit that is not minimum but close to it. So half the drivers on the road have either no insurance or not enough insurance. If you are hit by one of these drivers your uninsured/under insured liability would cover you. High uninsured/under insured limit isn't your only protection, but it covers your health care cost, lost income, pain and suffering, last two can't be bought elsewhere.
This blog post is meaty and maybe boring, but it's something that should be taken seriously and sometimes there is no fun way explaining serious subjects. Thank you for reading and as always if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
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