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Oklahoma Attorneys Discuss Car Insurance Law

How Do Oklahoma Car Insurance Laws Work?

Oklahoma is a "fault" car insurance state. This means that the driver who was at fault for the crash can be held accountable for all injury and property damage that happened in the crash. In such cases, the at-fault driver's insurance will cover the bulk of the damages. Injured victims of Oklahoma car crashes can seek compensation by filing a claim with their own insurer, by filing a claim with the at-fault driver's insurer, and/or by filing a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. If you have been injured in a car accident, and you were not at fault, you may qualify for compensation. Working with an Oklahoma car accident attorney may be the right next step to take.

How Much Insurance Do You Need?

You are legally required to follow Oklahoma auto insurance laws or face possible fines, loss of your license, and even jail time. How much coverage you get is up to you, but there are minimum car insurance coverage requirements. If you are a motorist in Oklahoma, your insurance policy should have the following minimum coverage:

$25,000 for the injury or death of one person including yourself, your passenger or another driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist.
$50,000 for the injury or death of more than one person in a single crash.
$25,000 for property damage.

These insurance policy coverages, however, do not provide any protection against damage to your vehicle, injuries suffered if you are hit by an uninsured or underinsured motorist, other damages unrelated to an accident, or medical coverage for yourself.

Therefore, the expert team of car accident attorneys at Car Accident Help recommend that you purchase additional insurance coverages as opposed to only purchasing the minimum coverage allowed by Oklahoma car insurance laws. Purchasing additional coverage such as collision, comprehensive, uninsured motorist, medical payments coverage, and medical insurance can prove useful if you are ever involved in a serious injury accident. Injuries that require hospitalization, surgery, time away from work, and physical therapy often cost much more than most people make in a year. The worst time to realize that your auto insurance lacks sufficient coverage is after a car wreck. Take a moment today to ensure your policy includes more than the minimum amount of insurance coverage required by Oklahoma law.

You may also wish to consider purchasing more than the minimum limits for the insurance in the event that you are in an accident and an injured party has more than $50,000 in damages. Otherwise, if you are the at-fault driver, you may be legally responsible for more than the amount you are carrying in insurance. Our team works with clients across Oklahoma who have been the victims of injury accidents, and we know firsthand the importance of excellent, full coverage car insurance policies.

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Oklahoma

As mentioned above, it is highly advisable to purchase uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM). Oklahoma law requires insurance providers to offer UIM coverage with every policy, but Oklahoma law does not require all motorists to purchase this additional protection. You should make sure that you have such protection. If you are ever involved in an accident with a driver minimum or no coverage, you will be protected by your UM/UIM coverage from significant financial loss. For example, if you are injured in a crash with a motorist who only has minimum coverage in Oklahoma, and you have severe injuries, you will not be fully compensated for your injuries and may have outstanding medical bills that you are responsible to pay.

What about hit-and-runs and insurance in Oklahoma? Uninsured motorist coverage can also help compensate you if a hit-and-run driver causes your injuries. Not all hit-and-run drivers get caught. You may have to rely on your own insurance policy in such cases. Uninsured motorist coverage pays you, resident members of your family, and passengers of your vehicle for personal injuries caused by an uninsured motorist, an underinsured motorist, or a hit-and-run driver. If an uninsured motorist damages your car, repairs would be paid for under your collision coverage. If you carry liability insurance only, there would be no insurance coverage available to repair your car. In a hit-and-run, having collision coverage makes a difference.

What If An Insurance Company Has Acted In Bad Faith?

Each month you probably pay a significant amount of money to your insurance company for auto insurance coverage. By purchasing this coverage, you expect to be protected in case of an accident that includes damages, medical expenses or other losses.

This contractual relationship between the insurance company and the driver requires trust that the insurance company will fairly handle these situations and you will be protected. Unfortunately, that is not always what occurs. Sometimes, insurance companies will attempt to settle a claim for less than the amount covered in the policy or less than what is owed. A violation of the policyholder’s trust and unfair treatment like this is called “insurance bad faith.”

Bad faith insurance practices commonly occur in Oklahoma with auto insurance policies. Our team of auto accident lawyers may be able to help you navigate the complexities of insurance companies and insurance bad faith after a car accident. Following an accident, a trusted car accident attorney can make all the difference in dealing with your car insurance company.

Protecting Your Rights in Oklahoma

The team at Car Accident Help believes that making sure you are properly covered is a crucial step in protecting your best interests. But what happens if you are given bad advice about how much insurance to carry? Well, the Oklahoma law requires all drivers to carry the minimum liability insurance. If you choose to not add UM/UIM insurance to your auto policy, and the injuries in an accident exceed that the at-fault driver’s insurance limits, you may be exposing your income and assets to potential losses. The bottom line is that you are responsible for what you purchase.

When you’re considering a new car insurance policy consider the following:

Does this policy include the minimum coverage outlined by Oklahoma car insurance laws?
Will this policy sufficiently protect me, my family and my property in the case of an injury accident, a hit-and-run accident, or an accident with someone who is uninsured?
Will this insurance policy provide sufficient coverage if I cause an accident and the damages exceed $50,000?

We hope you’ll take the time to review your current and potential auto insurance policies with these questions in mind. While choosing to save a few dollars today with the minimum required car insurance in Oklahoma can sound nice, it’s valuable to consider what might happen if you are involved in an accident.

Make sure you have adequate coverage (including emergency roadside assistance) and take the time to learn about your legal rights and options in case you are ever involved in a crash. An Oklahoma car accident attorney can review your case and help you pursue fair compensation for all your injuries, damages, and losses.

Call Car Accident Help at (405) 285-4357 for a no-cost consultation and case evaluation.