The Illinois House recently passed legislation to raise the minimum liability coverage to $25,000 for injury or death to one person and $50,000 for injury or death of two people. This is an increase from the current $20,000 and $40,000, respectively.

Liability coverage is insurance that helps pay for injuries to others. While there is debate about whether this increase is cost-prohibitive for many Illinois motorists, the focus should be on what coverage you are able to carry.

Let’s face it: this legislation only increases liability coverage by $5,000 per person since the last adjustment nearly 25 years ago. Today, an extra $5,000 doesn’t go very far, and even the new total minimum of $25,000 offers limited protection.

Think about what this means. If you are injured in an accident caused by someone else, Illinois law currently only requires that driver to carry $20,000 to cover all of your expenses and damages. The proposed increase raises this by just $5,000—still not nearly enough in many cases.

This is why, regardless of what the Illinois legislature decides, you should review your own policies to ensure you and your family are protected. Even if another driver’s coverage falls short, your underinsured motorist policy can help cover damages caused by their negligence.

The post Protection from the Protection appeared first on Harter & Schottland.