Uninsured Motorist Coverage — Maryland
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries and vehicle damage when the at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient coverage to pay your claim.
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What Is Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage pays your medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repair costs when another driver causes a crash but has no insurance or flees the scene. Underinsured motorist coverage activates when the at-fault driver's liability limits are too low to cover your damages. Both coverages protect you from paying out-of-pocket for injuries and property damage someone else caused. Maryland law requires insurers to offer both coverages at limits matching your liability policy, but you can reject them or select lower limits in writing.
Who Needs Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Drivers who cannot afford to pay medical bills or vehicle repair costs out-of-pocket if an uninsured driver hits them should carry this coverage. Maryland has an uninsured driver rate near 12 percent, meaning roughly one in eight drivers on the road has no liability insurance. If you drive in areas with high uninsured rates, commute in heavy traffic, or carry low health insurance coverage with high deductibles, uninsured motorist coverage protects you from absorbing costs another driver is legally responsible for but cannot pay.
Compare your uninsured motorist premium to your health insurance deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, and to your vehicle's replacement cost. If the annual uninsured motorist premium is less than 5 percent of your potential out-of-pocket medical or vehicle loss, carry it.
How Much Does Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
- Your selected uninsured motorist limits — higher limits cost more, and Maryland allows you to choose limits lower than your liability coverage if you reject the matching-limits offer in writing.
- Stacking election — if you insure multiple vehicles on one policy, stacked uninsured motorist coverage combines the limits from all vehicles, increasing your total available coverage and your premium by 15 to 30 percent.
- Your ZIP code and county — areas with higher rates of uninsured drivers, such as Baltimore City, typically have higher uninsured motorist premiums because the risk of filing a claim is greater.
- Your liability limits — because Maryland requires insurers to offer uninsured motorist coverage at limits matching your liability policy, drivers who carry high liability limits pay more for the matching uninsured motorist offer unless they reject it and select lower limits.
