Mississippi Auto Insurance Liability Laws

• Learn the Mississippi laws for auto insurance liability.yellow car, a honda japanese sport car model image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
  
  Auto insurance is required by law in many states. The purpose of auto insurance is to provide protection and financial compensation to repair the damages that can occur as a result of an automobile accident. Because many people do not have the necessary amount of money available to pay for damages if they hit a pedestrian or are are rear-ended by a drunk driver and have to spend weeks in reconstructive surgery or physical therapy, auto insurance provides peace of mind that your bills will be covered and you will not lose everything as a result of an accident.
  
  

Liability Coverage

• Liability insurance covers damages you cause as a result of an accident or property damage incident that you have directly contributed to. Minimum amounts are set in order to ensure everyone is sufficiently covered. However, because of increases in the cost of health care and other related services, the state minimum coverages may not be sufficient to cover any eventuality that might result from an accident, especially if there is a subsequent lawsuit involved, so you should consider purchasing more than the mandates.
  
  

Minimum Liability Protection

• In Mississippi, you are required to have a minimum of $10,000 per person (single accident) personal injury liability, $20,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident and $5,000 in property damage coverage. This insurance can be acquired either by purchasing it from a licensed automobile insurance agent in the state, or by posting a bond and making a cash or other deposit to a dedicated account for the total amount of these items, and becoming self-insured.
  
  

Other Types of Coverage

• Basic liability insurance mandated by law only covers damage that you cause to another person, so if you wish to cover yourself properly, you will want to purchase additional forms of insurance along with your state-required liability insurance. Uninsured and under-insured motorist coverage is recommended, along with collision coverage to help repair your vehicle if it is damaged in an accident. Comprehensive coverage can insure that anything that happens, including theft or weather damage, will be covered.