Home | Profile | Areas of Practice | Accidental Injury Law Building Business Family Law News | Newsletters Press Releases Seminars Links | Contacts           Uninsured Motorists Coverage: Don't Leave Home Without It By: Malcolm McCollam www.MalcolmLaw.com     With daylight savings time just around the corner, now is the perfect time to check your insurance coverage. Odds are you will not be involved in a bicycle-vehicular accident. But if you ever are, this little ounce of prevention will be well worth it. Here's what I recommend to all my cycling clients: Property Insurance: If you own a home, your homeowner's insurance may cover damage to your bicycle, helmet and clothing. If you are not a homeowner, obtain renter's insurance. You should have it anyway, for the contents of your apartment or residence. Medical Insurance: Make certain you are covered under an individual or group health insurance policy. Believe it or not, many people completely overlook their medical insurance coverage when involved in a bicycle-vehicular accident. Carry a spare copy of your medical insurance benefits card with you at all times on the bike. Most insurance companies provide multiple copies, so stick one in your saddlebag with your spare tubes. If someone you are riding with has to check you into the hospital, it will make the process go smoother. Automobile Insurance: Yes, that's right. Your automobile insurance can provide a valuable source of recovery and should not be overlooked. There are two primary types of coverage you should make sure you have: medical payments and uninsured/underinsured motorist (this is sometimes referred to as AUM) coverage. Medical payments coverage provides dollar-for-dollar benefits if you incur medical expense as a result of an accident involving a vehicle. Bicycle-vehicular accidents qualify for this coverage. The amount of med-pay coverage available generally depends upon the size of the policy. Most people carry $5,000 to $10,000 med-pay coverage, and this is generally adequate, given the existence of other available sources. UM coverage, in my opinion, is absolutely essential. I have seen many people make the mistake of opting out of this coverage in an effort to save a few dollars in premiums. Don't do it! It's not that expensive, and the benefits it can provide are well worth the premiums. If, for example, you are the victim of a hit-and-run accident, your UM insurance covers you. Likewise, if you receive injuries due to the fault of a vehicular driver, and those injuries exceed the insurance coverage available from that driver, your UM coverage can save the day. The amount of UM coverage you carry may not exceed the limits of your general liability coverage in Oklahoma. I generally recommend people carry at least $100,000 UM coverage; more, if you can afford it. If you have to raise your liability coverage to get this much UM, please consider doing so. In my practice, I have seen too many cases - tragically - where the vehicle driver at fault had minimal coverage, the cyclist received severe, or even fatal, injuries, and the cyclist had no UM coverage. Do not do this to yourself and your family. If there is one message I can get across through this article, it is to check your UM coverage. Here's hoping you never need to use it. Happy riding.   MalcolmLaw - The Legal Specialist 1640 S. Boston Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 Ph. 918-582-5880 Fax 918-582-5758   The material on this website is provided for informational purposes only.  It is not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.