Motor vehicle accidents can be both traumatic and are, in many ways, foreseeable. Think about it. At any given time, there are thousands of vehicles on a roadway traveling at extremely high rates of speed. The fact that there are not even more accidents that occur on a daily basis is frankly quite astonishing.
Depending on the circumstances of the collision, you and/or your loved ones, could find yourselves in a scenario where there is insufficient insurance coverage to provide adequate protection to compensate you for your respective injuries and damages. What happens then and how can it be avoided?
Too often I am confronted by clients or friends that, when assessing their motor vehicle insurance needs, tell me they “just picked the best rate” when referring to the monthly premium rather than the actual coverage that is offered. It is important to understand that while maintaining at the very least, the minimum statutory coverage in Ontario is mandated by law, there are certain optional but valuable protections that are rarely presented when selecting your motor vehicle policy.
The OPCF-44R Family Protection Coverage will eliminate the potential risk of being hit by someone who is uninsured or underinsured. The optional endorsement will make up the difference between the third-party liability limit of the at-fault driver and your own coverage, assuming you were operating a motor vehicle with a policy of insurance above coverages of the at fault driver. For example, if you have $2 million dollars in third party liability coverage and are hit by someone with $200,000.00 in third party liability coverage then you will be able to bring a claim against your own insurer to be covered for the extra $1,800,000.00.
The OPCF 44R also ensures that you will have access to insurance if you or a family member is injured. It applies to children under 18, those who are financially dependent, or family members residing in your home.
What about a Hit and Run?
You will also be covered if you are involved in a hit and run accident. In these scenarios, the onus sits with you to prove that the accident was caused as a result of an unidentified motorist. There are a number of steps that you will be required to satisfy following the collision, including but not limited to, corroborating evidence of the circumstances of the accident, as well as taking sufficient steps to attempt to identify the unidentified motorist.
The Moral of the Story
The additional monthly cost of your premium to include 44R coverage is nominal. In most cases, even less than your daily Starbucks fix. This is definitely a case where “the juice is worth the squeeze.
