RV and Auto Insurance Basic tips

There is a great deal of overlap between RV and auto policies. If you have a motorized RV, you will need some of the same coverage’s provided by an auto policy plus specialized RV coverage's. I will attempt to explain a few things to consider without confusing you.

Regardless of the insurance company you decide to use, there are a handful of basic coverage’s you will need to have in your policy. Again, this coverage is very similar, if not identical, to the coverage you have on your personal auto insurance policy. This coverage can be broken down into two different categories; liability and physical damage. All motorized RV’s will have some form of liability coverage. Towable RV’s like travel trailers and 5th wheel trailers do not have any liability coverage. However, if you own a travel trailer or 5th wheel the section on liability may contain information helpful to you regarding the vehicle you use to tow your trailer.

There are many things to consider, here are just a few:

Liability Coverage

There are a number of coverage’s that fall under the category of liability coverage including Bodily Injury, Property Damage, Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury, Underinsured Motorist, Uninsured Motorist Property Damage, Personal Injury Protection and Medical Payments. Some of these coverage’s vary by state.

Note: The Department of Insurance in the state you live in can be an excellent resource for additional information regarding state specific coverage’s. Most states offer a Consumer Buyer’s Guide on their website that will explain state specific nuances to each of these coverage’s.

Bodily Injury is third party coverage. This means it provides protection for claims due to injuries to a passenger in your vehicle (other than you or a family member) or passengers in another vehicle, or pedestrians. It provides you, the owner/operator of a motor vehicle, with protection for your legal liability due to the ownership, maintenance or use of your RV. It is very important to select a limit that is high enough to protect your assets. You may be responsible for any amounts, related to injuries received to the third party, over and above the limit on your insurance policy. You can also purchase a separate umbrella policy that sits over all of your liability limits on your cars, your house and your motorized RV.

Property Damage is also a third party coverage, and provides protection for claims due to damage to other people’s property. For example, Property Damage would pay to repair damage to the bumper of a car that you rear-end in an accident. Bodily Injury and Property Damage limits typically work together and can be either a split limit or a combined single limit. A typical split limit has a different limit for damages to each person, each accident and property damage. For example, a common split limit would be $100,000/$300,000/$50,000. This means that for Bodily Injury coverage you have a maximum limit of $100,000 per person for each person injured not to exceed $300,000 per accident and a $50,000 limit for Property Damage. A common single limit for Bodily Injury and Property Damage is $300,000 meaning you have $300,000 to pay for all injuries and property damage arising from any one accident. It can be split any which way between injured parties and damaged property. Bodily Injury and Property Damage are required for all motorized RV’s. For travel trailers and 5th wheel trailers liability follows the unit towing the trailer, so Bodily Injury and Property Damage coverage’s are not necessary.

Uninsured Motorists (UM) and Underinsured Motorists (UIM) coverage’s can be first or third party coverage’s. UM provides protection for injuries you or someone else sustains in an accident due to the fault of another party when the at-fault party does not have any insurance. UIM provides protection for injuries you or someone else sustain in an accident due to the fault of another party when the at-fault party does have insurance, but not enough insurance to cover your damages. UM and UIM are sold on a split limit and combined single limit basis, just like Bodily Injury and Property Damage.

Your RV insurance can and should fit your RV. To get a free RV insurance quote with absolutely no obligation, I recommend Explorer RV Insurance Agency, Inc. you can call 1-888-774-6778. Happy Camping,

Copyright 2006 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101

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