Let’s say you live in Florida and cause an accident that injures another person to the tune of $40,000. If you only have the state’s minimum bodily injury protection ($10,000 per person, $20,000 per accident), you’d be responsible for the remaining $30,000. But, if you had purchased more than Florida’s minimum — say $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident — you wouldn’t have to pay a single dime out of pocket.
If you drive under a certain amount of miles every year, you can tell your insurance company and possibly qualify for a low mileage discount. This is a common discount that many drivers actually qualify for but are not aware of. If you only use your car for occasional short trips, you can sign up for a usage-based insurance program that determines your rates based on how much you drive.
With a good driving record — devoid of at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs, or other recent citations — you'll probably enjoy relatively cheap car insurance rates. On the other hand, a bad driving record will cause your costs to skyrocket: car insurance premiums typically increase by 28% after a DUI, 33% after an at-fault accident, and 4% after a speeding ticket in Texas. The post-violation penalties assessed by car insurance companies in Texas are substantially lower than nationwide averages — especially for speeding tickets. If you have a clean driving history, be sure to inquire about your insurance company's safe driver discount.
You may see this abbreviated as 25/50/25 coverage. Connecticut is one of the few states that also requires drivers to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in the same quantities listed above. These coverages kick in when you are hit by another driver who doesn’t have insurance or who doesn’t have enough insurance to cover the full cost of the damages.
