Okay the term Phantom Motorist is a misnomer We concede this point from the start.It is a descriptor of hit and run drivers They aren't phantoms. They are menaces and wreak harm wherever they go.
There are criminal consequences for them when caught but often they are not and when they leave behind injured drivers and pedestrians the question is who pays for the damage? The answer is your uninsured motorist coverage.
Uninsured motorist coverage (U.M.) is remarkably useful and versatile and it is hard to have too much of it. Yes it covers you if an uninsured at-fault vehicle operator causes you injury and/or damage. It also covers instances where you don't know if the at-fault driver has insurance coverage because they leave the scene of the crash, the previously alluded to " Phantom motorists".
Uninsured motorist coverage is also underinsured motorist coverage. This means that an injured crash victim can collect some funds from their own policy where the amount of U.M. coverage on their policy is greater than the liability coverage held by the at-fault driver and the value of their personal injury case is also greater than the amount of liability coverage held by the at-fault operator.
As an example, if Winston breaks his leg in a crash and incurs $30,000.00 in medical bills and loses $5000.00 in pay, his case obviously is worth more than the Maryland minimum liability coverage of $30,000.00 held by at-fault driver Joan. Fortunately, Winston has $100,000.00 in uninsured motorist coverage and under operation of Maryland law he can claim the $30,000.00 from the at-fault driver's liability policy and then seek up to $70,000.00 from his own uninsured policy.
The value of maintaining more than Maryland's minimum coverage of $30,000.00 for both liability and U.M. is clear and the additional cost is minimal.
Don't get caught without enough U.M. coverage.
