Under Hawaii state law, insurance providers must inform consumers about uninsured and underinsured motorist protection. If a driver does not want to add this type of protection to his or her policy, they must indicate this fact in writing.
Uninsured motorist coverage comes into play when the at-fault driver in an accident does not have insurance coverage. Hawaii is a no-fault car insurance state, which means that an accident victim’s own insurer would be responsible for paying for medical bills and expenses stemming from the accident. The right to sue is reserved for cases where the accident resulted in serious and permanent injuries.
No-fault coverage only pays for personal injuries, and uninsured motorist coverage can be used to pay for the cost of repairs to the policyholder’s vehicle if necessary. If uninsured motorist coverage is purchased, the minimum level the insurer can write a policy for is $20,000 for an individual victim and $40,000 to pay for all injuries stemming from the same accident. The minimum level of property damage under this type of policy is $10,000.
A driver can also purchase underinsured motorist coverage to make up the difference between the protection that an at-fault driver has available and the true level of damages caused. The minimum level of this type of protection is $20,000.
Even though this type of insurance is not required, Hawaii car insurance buyers would be well advised to add it to their policy. It is valuable protection that is worth the money spent on premiums.
