An insurance research group, the Pennsylvania-based Insurance Research Council, has recently forecast that the current recession will lead to an increase in the number of motorists driving without insurance. The number of uninsured motorists is expected to be more than 1 in 6 by next year, that;s over 16% of all drivers, according to the report.

My 30 years of experience in handling motor vehicle accident cases is consistent with the research group’s forecast that the percentage of insured motorists usually rises with the unemployment rate. Unemployment is expected to rise to over ten percent in certain areas in the upcoming months.

Whether you live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, you need to insure yourself against uninsured motorists. You should review your automobile policies to be sure that you have adequate uninsured motorist coverage. If you are hurt by an uninsured motorist you will only be able to collect up to the policy limit of your uninsured coverage.

Note from the Webmaster: For those of you living in New Hampshire, you may have noticed that on February 2nd 2009, the Nashua Telegraph did an article entitled Uninsured on the road could swell by Melanie Plenda. You can view the article on the Nashua Telegraph’s website. The good news is that in New Hampshire, the insurance companies are not allowed to deny coverage to anyone because of bad credit, low income or other factors with the exception of out of state residency and legally not allowed to drive. The bad news however is that auto insurance is voluntary in New Hampshire. If you are uninsured and get in an accident with another uninsured vehicle, there is nothing to collect, leaving you responsible for all your bills. Therefore, automobile insurance is highly recommended.

We all know how expensive medical treatment can be and how easy it is to rack up the bills. This scenario becomes all the more apparent when someone is the victim of a motor vehicle accident and suffers debilitating injuries. Given the high cost of affordable health insurance, there is a way to protect yourself against skyrocketing health costs associated with a motor vehicle accident.

Did you know that for relatively short money (e.g. $15 to $25 depending on your insurance company) you can add optional Medical Payments coverage on your automobile insurance policy? Medical Payment insurance covers the reasonable and necessary medical expenses incurred as a result of a motor vehicle accident involving any of the following people:

• Anyone who is occupying your vehicle at the time of the accident with consent (including you or a household member) and
• You or any household member if struck by an automobile as a pedestrian or if occupying someone else’s vehicle at the time of the accident with consent.

Optional Medical Payments coverage is usually purchased in $5000 increments and will provide coverage for your medical expenses in addition to the $8000 mandatory coverage under the compulsory PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage. However, because the PIP coverage also reimburses one for lost wages resulting from the accident, often times there is not adequate coverage for all of one’s medical expenses and lost wages resulting from an accident from the mandatory PIP coverage. Medical Payments coverage offers additional protection and allows one to obtain the medical treatment necessary for injuries resulting from a motor vehicle accident and we highly recommend purchasing this coverage.