Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Connecticut: Why It’s Essential

Uninsured motorist coverage in Connecticut is one of several mandatory auto insurance coverages. Once you purchase your auto policy, you probably never think about it until you’re brainstorming ways to reduce your policy premiums. Of course, UM becomes more meaningful when an uninsured, negligent driver injures you in a car accident. It can provide some of the financial compensation the other driver can’t pay. 

In working with seriously injured clients, Connecticut motor vehicle accident attorneys see what happens when an uninsured driver causes harm. An injured person may spend years managing accident-related losses. Uninsured motorist coverage can provide financial relief and peace of mind when you need it most. That’s why we prepared “Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Connecticut: Why It’s Essential” This FAQ explains how UM coverage works and what you need to do to present a claim.

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Connecticut?

Yes, Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory. Connecticut’s motor vehicle statutes require drivers to purchase UM coverage. The state’s Property and Casualty Insurance statutes require insurers to include UM coverage in every auto policy they issue in the state. 

The Insurance Information Institute’s most recent assessment of Insurance Research Council data found that 10.4 percent of Connecticut motorists drive without insurance. This statistic provides straightforward information, but numbers don’t tell the whole story. For some motorists, driving without insurance is a temporary financial setback. For others, it becomes part of an inescapable cycle.

• Bad driving habits: Unsafe driving leads to moving violations, license points, suspensions, and accidents. 
• Higher premiums: When a driver has an accident or a bad driving history, insurers typically charge higher premiums, often adding high surcharges. 
• License suspensions: Some bad drivers lose their license but continue driving anyway.
• Can’t qualify for insurance: An unlicensed driver doesn’t qualify for insurance. If they depend on transportation, they might drive without coverage. 
• Unaffordable premiums: Licensed and unlicensed drivers take their chances, drive without insurance, and deal with the consequences.
• Chronically bad drivers: Insurers traditionally avoid drivers with a history of speeding, DUI convictions, financial responsibility noncompliance, and chronically bad driving records. If they do offer coverage, it usually comes with a significantly higher premium and lower policy limits. When a driver can’t afford to pay a high premium, they become more likely to drive without insurance.  

Some of the worst drivers drive uninsured. Often, this is because they can’t always afford to pay premiums. You likely share the road with unsafe, uninsured drivers every day. That makes uninsured motorist coverage a necessity for drivers who follow state laws and drive safely. 

What does uninsured motorist coverage in Connecticut cover?

Your uninsured motorist coverage fills the role of a negligent driver’s auto liability carrier. If an uninsured driver injures you in a car accident, your insurer handles your bodily injury claim. They compensate you up to your coverage limit for the same types of damages the other driver’s insurer would have paid if he’d had insurance. 

Your policy explains who can receive coverage under your policy. 

• You (the named insured)
• Your spouse, if you reside in the same household
• Family members: resident of your household, related by blood, marriage, or adoption
• People occupying your covered auto

Your UM coverage applies when an uninsured vehicle causes an accident that injures you, your spouse, or a family member, as defined by your policy. UM coverage also applies when a covered person is a pedestrian or riding in an unowned vehicle. 

UM coverage doesn’t apply if you or any insured are involved in an accident with a vehicle you own but didn’t insure or insured elsewhere. Other definitions and exclusions may apply to your uninsured motorist claim.

How your insurer fills the role of the negligent driver’s liability insurer

Your insurer should establish an uninsured motorist claim if a negligent driver injures you in a car accident and has no insurance. This can happen for several reasons.  

• No coverage: Neither the driver nor the vehicle owner had liability insurance or a valid bond.
• Coverage declination: The insurer declined to cover the accident. This can happen if the insurer cancels the policy for nonpayment. Insurers also decline coverage if the driver stole the vehicle or used it without permission. 
• Insolvency: The negligent driver had insurance but the company became insolvent or went out of business. 

Once your insurer confirms that the driver had no coverage, they handle the claim as though they are the insurer. A claims adjuster investigates the accident and evaluates your injuries. They eventually resolve your claim as though they insured the other guy.  

Compensatory Damages

An uninsured motorist’s bodily injury claim pays the compensatory damages a negligent driver is or would have been legally obligated to pay. Your settlement may include economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic damages are the current and future costs for treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. They may include:

• Income losses
• Hospitalization, medical care, medical transportation, and medication 
• Mobility devices and prostheses  
• Physical and psychological therapy
• Corrective surgery
• Rehabilitation
• Household assistance
• Funeral and burial costs

Non-economic damages are the monetary value for emotional and psychological injuries. 

• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional pain
• Mental anguish
• Disfigurement and scarring
• Loss of consortium (spousal/partner companionship and services)
• Loss of earning capacity
• Physical Impairment

Does uninsured motorist coverage also cover hit-and-run accidents?

Personal Auto Policy language includes hit-and-run drivers within the uninsured driver definition. UM coverage applies when a driver hits you and leaves the accident scene. The coverage language also includes hit-and-run accidents when the other driver causes your accident without making contact. 

In the policy section outlining your “duties after a loss,” it explains that you must promptly file a police report if a hit-and-run driver causes your accident. 

Do I need uninsured motorist coverage if I have health insurance?

Yes, you still need uninsured motorist coverage if you have health insurance. Each policy is very specific as to what it covers. 

Health insurance pays for treatment and rehabilitation costs based on your policy’s covered conditions, services, deductibles, and limitations. Your health insurer won’t reimburse you for lost or diminished income, and other financial damages. A health insurer may contribute to the costs of psychological treatment or plastic surgery. They owe nothing for pain, suffering, disfigurement, and other non-economic damages associated with those losses. 

An uninsured motorist claim indemnifies you for non-economic losses

Indemnification is the overriding concept behind bodily injury liability claims. It recognizes that while you may heal from your injuries, they often leave behind physical, emotional, and invisible scars. 

While a bodily injury settlement can never take away these non-economic harms, the claim process allows you and your attorney to decide on a dollar figure to indemnify you. It’s the idea of making you whole.

How much uninsured motorist coverage should I carry in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, your UM coverage limit must at least equal the state minimum BI liability limit. That’s $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. While that sounds like a reasonable sum, if an uninsured driver seriously injures you, $25,000 probably won’t even cover the cost of your hospital stay. It won’t likely be enough to cover your current and future economic and non-economic losses.  

Should you increase your UM/UIM coverage?

If you purchased your auto policy from a brick-and-mortar agency, the agent probably explained the benefit of buying more than minimum limits insurance. 

Often, when people make insurance-buying decisions, they seal the deal with an online chatbot. With no one to explain the benefits of uninsured motorist coverage in Connecticut, the idea of minimum limits sounds like good financial sense. 

Even if a chatbot accepts your initial coverage decisions, you can still modify your policy and increase your coverage limits. In Connecticut, you usually have three options.

• Keep your minimum BI Liability and UM/UIM limits ($25,000/50,000)
• Retain the same BI Liability limit and double your UM/UIM limit to twice that amount.  
• Increase your BI Liability limit and increase your UM/UIM limit to twice the higher amount. 

Depending on your circumstances, your insurance carrier may not offer you an option. They may agree to upgrade your coverage, but only when it’s time to renew your policy.

What is the difference between uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage?

Underinsured motorist coverage pays your damages when the other driver has no insurance or leaves an accident scene unidentified. Underinsured motorist coverage gives you access to additional coverage when a negligent driver has liability insurance but not enough to pay for your injuries. 

As UM and UIM coverages have similar objectives, insurers usually include them in the same section of your personal auto policy. They have a few similarities. 

• The covered persons, coverage limits, definitions, exclusions, and conditions in this section apply to both UM and UIM coverage.
• Both UM and UIM pay benefits based on the negligent driver’s insurance coverage status. 
• Both coverages have the same coverage limit. 
• Your insurance company handles your UIM claim as though they were another liability insurer. 

Can I file a claim against an uninsured driver if I don’t have uninsured motorist coverage?

A driver owes damages based on their negligence. If an uninsured, negligent driver injures you, they still owe you for your damages. If you have no uninsured motorist coverage, you still have a right to recover what they owe, but things could become unnecessarily complicated. 

• If both of you are uninsured, you probably won’t be able to resolve your claim without filing a lawsuit. 
• If you handle your lawsuit yourself, you might not know enough about the issues to present a winning case. 
•  The other driver may file a countersuit against you. 
• If you win your case, you may have a difficult time collecting any judgment. 

When someone injures you in a car accident, you should consult with a motor vehicle accident attorney, whether or not the negligent driver has liability insurance. They can listen to your version of the accident, and assess any liability issues. An attorney can give you the guidance you need and help you determine the best option for you. 

How do I add uninsured motorist coverage to my car insurance policy in Connecticut?

Insurers that sell auto policies in Connecticut must comply with the statutory mandate that they include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in their policy. If you purchased your policy in another state, you should discuss your policy with an insurer in Connecticut. If you prefer to deal with an online insurer, your insurance company’s website should be able to help you obtain the appropriate coverage. 

Do I need an attorney to make an uninsured motorist claim?

You don’t have to have a lawyer to make an uninsured motorist claim, but it’s probably a good idea. You’ll be dealing with your own insurer but they will be assuming the roles of both your insurer and the other driver’s liability carrier. The claims adjuster won’t mention it, but much of what they do throughout the UM claim handling process can create a conflict of interest. 

• Your insurer will be filling the dual role of your insurance carrier and the liability carrier 
• Your policy establishes contractual duties that may conflict with your legal rights. 
• Your policy requires that you cooperate with your insurer if you want to preserve your coverage. A liability carrier can’t demand cooperation except during litigation. 
• Insurers often require insureds to produce documentation they would only give to a liability carrier when they were ready.  
• If you decide to file a suit against the responsible party, you must comply with your policy notification and permission requirements. 
• You must do everything your insurance company requires while protecting their subrogation rights, their right to recover damages they paid on your behalf.  

Because of these and other issues, you should never handle an injury claim without legal assistance. When you consult with a car accident attorney, you can discuss your accident and learn more about your legal options. You can establish a working relationship and let your attorney resolve the legal issues while you rest and recover.