Whether you’re planning a road trip through Ohio, or you’re a citizen of the state, there are a few things you need to know before getting behind the wheel and driving around in the Buckeye state.
Just like many other states within America, Ohio has set a legal requirement when it comes to the insurance of your vehicle.
This means, that whenever you find yourself driving within the state, your motor insurance policy must include the legally required coverage the state asks for.
If, like many, you don’t know what the legal requirement is for your car insurance in Ohio, don’t worry, as we’re about to tell you. This way, you can double check your policy contains the coverages needed by law for the state.
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Coverage options
Below are some coverage options you can choose to add to your motor insurance policy, to help customize your policy to suit you, your driving and your needs.
Comprehensive Coverage
This is also known as an ‘act of god’ coverage, where it covers you financially if damage or loss of your vehicle is caused by something other than a car accident. This could be a tree falling on your car in a storm, your car being stolen by vandals, an animal suddenly running out in front of you and so on. Many motor insurers offer deductibles of $250 and over with this coverage type – simply pick the best one for you.
The state of Ohio does recommend adding this coverage to your policy, but it isn’t a legal requirement to do so.
Uninsured / Underinsured motor bodily injury coverage
This coverage is more of a protection for you and your costings if ever you were involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, that resulted in you needing to seek medical help. This also helps cover any loss of wages due to injury from an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver too.
Many motor insurer’s coverage starts at $25,000/$50,000, but you can have this to whichever band you wish.
Again, this isn’t a legal requirement in the state of Ohio, but they do highly recommend having this included in your policy.
Legally required coverages in Ohio
Now that we’ve explored the coverages Ohio recommends adding to your policy, let’s take a look at the coverage that Ohio has set as a legal requirement.
Liability coverage
Liability coverage is split into two sections – Bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage. Both are designed to help you financially if you’re responsible for paying for someone else’s bills due to a car accident.
Bodily injury liability coverage is a coverage designed to help you pay for the medical bills of someone who was injured in the accident but wasn’t a passenger in your vehicle.
Property damage liability coverage is coverage that helps you pay for the repairs or replacement of someone else’s car or personal property after being damaged in an accident.
The minimum coverage requirement in the state of Ohio is $25,000/$50,000, but you can opt for higher brackets if you wish.
