D. Gilson is a writer and author of essays, poetry, and scholarship that explore the relationship between popular culture, literature, sexuality, and memoir. His latest book is Jesus Freak, with Will Stockton, part of Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 Series. His other books include I Will Say This Exactly One Time and Crush. His first chapbook, Catch & Release, won the 2012 Robin Becker Prize from Seve...

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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Reviewed by Jeffrey Johnson
Insurance Lawyer

UPDATED: Feb 22, 2021

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Just the Basics

  • Personal Injury Protection insurance rates are determined by your auto insurance coverage and the limits you choose
  • Personal injury protection is required in some states
  • Personal injury protection will help pay for costs such as lost wages, funeral expenses, and medical procedures resulting in an accident, no matter who is at fault

Personal injury protection (PIP) insurance is additional coverage you can add to your car insurance that helps pay for your injuries if you are in a car accident.

Personal injury protection insurance, or no-fault coverage, means that your insurance company will pay, regardless of who caused the accident.

Do I have enough accident coverage? After an auto accident, you want assurance that your needs will be met, and personal injury protection can help with that.

While some states require you to carry personal injury protection, most don’t and requirements vary from state to state.

Before you buy personal injury protection (PIP) car insurance coverage, shop around to find the best deals. Enter your ZIP code now to compare quotes personal injury protection (PIP) car insurance quotes.

What is personal injury protection (PIP) insurance?

What is PIP insurance and when do you need it?

Personal injury protection insurance helps pay for medical injuries that stem from an accident, no matter who is at fault. It can even be used to pay for damages if you aren’t in your car like if you are walking, bicycling, or riding in someone else’s car.

PIP insurance will pay for bills such as:

  • Lost wages
  • Funeral expenses and accidental death benefits
  • Services, such as childcare and cleaning services
  • Hospitalization
  • Surgeries
  • Dental, optometric, and nursing services
  • Ambulance, medication, prosthetic devices

However, PIP won’t pay for damages to your car or injuries to another driver. It’s also important to note that you will have coverage limits even on the items personal injury protection does cover.

While bodily injury liability coverage is part of your auto insurance coverage, that pays for injuries to the other driver, not you. personal injury protection (PIP) insurance pays for your injuries.

While most states require you to carry a minimum of liability and bodily injury coverage, only 16 states require you to carry personal injury protection insurance.

Every state is different in how long you have to file your PIP claim and if you have to file your health insurance first. Your agent can give you specific information for your state.

According to NOLO, the downside of personal injury protection or no-fault coverage is that you generally can’t sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering unless the injury is very serious.

It’s also important to note that PIP and MedPay coverages are different. While both will pay certain medical costs from an accident, MedPay won’t cover extras like lost wages.

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Why do you need personal injury protection (PIP) insurance?

Even if your health insurance for other medical payment insurance will cover your medical costs, those types of insurance won’t cover your other needs, like pay for lost wages.

Although you can get MedPay on top of PIP coverage, it is generally redundant. However, if you wanted more coverage, you could either increase your personal injury protection coverage or add MedPay for added security.

In order to find affordable personal injury protection (PIP) car insurance insurance coverage, shop around and compare quotes for the best deal.

Enter your ZIP code now to compare personal injury protection (PIP) car insurance rates from multiple companies.

References:

  1. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/car-accident-passenger-injury-claims-in-no-fault-states.html