Here’s a little scary thought for you; You are driving on the freeway, dusk is approaching, and while there are some cars here and there, the place looks mostly lifeless. Now, what happens if your car battery dies, or you run out of gas, or even worse, your engine breaks down? Wouldn’t it be a nightmare to manage all these issues all by yourself in the middle of nowhere? So if you are planning on taking a long road trip, you might want to consider a few things.
Road trips can only be fun if you are well-prepared for them. While most people consider “secured” as taking an extra bit of cash, a swiss pocket knife, flashlight, and a few other things, what about the car? Your car is perhaps the most important thing on a road trip, and if you don’t have it properly secured, your dreamy road trip can turn into a nightmare.
Auto Insurance for Road Trips?
There are no special auto insurance policies for road trips. Your general auto insurance is what you need to have to be well-prepared for a journey on the road. However, most general auto insurance policies are not fit for long road trips. You need to do a little bit of tweaking and additions to make it capable of insuring your car.
From making the coverage of your auto insurance policy a bit wider to increasing the coverage limit a little bit, here’s everything you need to do to make your auto insurance “road trip worthy”.
Roadside Assistance is a Must!
If you plan on taking a road trip, be it inside the state or across the country, you need to get roadside assistance added to your auto insurance policy. Roadside assistance is not a separate insurance policy but an add-on and almost every auto insurance company offer it. It does not cost too much and for the value it provides, it is worth the price you pay for it.
Roadside assistance makes your auto insurance ready for long road trips. While the coverage might vary, RSA usually includes services like:
- Battery jumpstart
- Flat tire change
- Key replacement
- Towing your car to the nearest garage
- Gas refilling
- Other minor fixes
The best part about all of this is that roadside assistance can be availed from anywhere in the country. You can be in some remote part of Wyoming or the sprawling city of New York, if your insurance company is present in that state, roadside assistance will help you in all of these situations.
Since each company is different in what it offers in roadside assistance, it is better to look at different companies’ offerings and then get the one that fits you the best. Compare different plans and get different auto insurance quotes before making your choice to get the best coverage.
Get Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage
If you don’t already have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, then this is the best time to get one. A UM/UIM coverage is great for general auto insurance coverage, but it becomes necessary if you are going out on a long road trip.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage is a policy that can be claimed if the driver at fault either does not have a liability coverage policy or has one but the coverage limit is not enough to pay for the entire cost of repairs and medical treatments.
The roads are scary, but the freeways are scarier. With cars zooming at high speeds, the risk of serious accidents is much higher when you are out on a long road trip. The worst part here is that the driver at fault might not even stay after an accident. They can just hit your car and run. UM/UIM coverage is perfect to get you out of this situation as it can be claimed in a hit-and-run scenario.
Increase Your Insurance Coverage Limit
Each state has its minimum coverage limit for liability coverage. The coverage limit of your auto insurance policy is the maximum amount of money the insurance company will pay in an insurance claim. So if the cost of repairs or medical treatment is higher than your coverage limit, you’ll have to pay the remaining amount from your pockets.
The reason why it is smart to increase your car insurance coverage limit before you set out on the highway is because of statistics. When compared, accidents that happen in cities or residential areas are not as severe as the accidents that happen on the freeway. Suffice it to say, you’ll be needing more money to fix a car that has been in severe damage.
This is why increasing your auto insurance coverage limit, both liability coverage and personal coverage is a smart move. You are better off paying some extra dollars than getting in an accident and paying thousands of dollars from your pocket.
Personal Injury Protection Plan
A personal injury protection plan covers the cost of medical treatments you’d need if you get injured in a car accident. Some health insurance policies cover road accident costs as well, but it is still better to get a PIP plan if you are planning for a road trip. Even if your health insurance covers road accidents, you can claim your PIP policy if your health insurance is not enough.
Medical bills can be coma-inducing, with a simple ambulance ride costing thousands of dollars. If you think your $200,000 medical insurance is enough, think again. Medical treatments for accidents can go as high as $1 million. So having a personal injury protection plan adds an extra layer of security.
And these were the tweaks and changes that you need to make to make your auto insurance fit for a long road trip.