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AutoInsurancePlanners.com Helps Auto Insurance Buyers Making Sense of Coverage Options

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--July 25, 2005--Property damage and injuries are the common items paid by auto insurance. If you want to get the best car insurance policy, say the experts at www.AutoInsurancePlanners.com, know all your coverage options to choose wisely and get the best rate.

The five major categories of auto insurance coverage are:

-- Liability to others, including injury and property damage

-- Medical payments for people in your car

-- Damage to your vehicle

-- Personal injury protection

-- Uninsured motorist protection

Most states require minimum liability coverage, so that your insurer will pay if you're at fault in an accident where the other party is injured or their vehicle is damaged. This is called "property damage" or "bodily injury" coverage. This coverage protects your assets, because you may be required to pay for losses, or you can be sued.

Medical payments, often optional, will pay for your injuries from a covered accident. This is important because of the high costs of health care.

"Collision" and "comprehensive" coverage will pay for damage to your vehicle. Collision pays for fender-benders, while comprehensive covers losses such as theft or flood. Save money by choosing higher deductibles on this coverage, and paying for part of the repairs yourself.

Personal injury protection, also called PIP or "no-fault," provides coverage for injuries regardless who caused the accident. This is often optional; New York requires it, for instance, while California does not. More than medical payments, it also covers things such as lost wages or essential services like housekeeping that you can't do while you're laid up.

Uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage protects you if you have an accident with someone without coverage. It also covers hit-and-runs, or a car-pedestrian accident. This also is optional in some states.

Remember to comparison shop, at a Web site like www.AutoInsurancePlanners.com, to get the best rates and coverage. Always try to compare similar policies, whether insurers use different terms for their coverage. Remember, too, that "full coverage" is not a standard term; always read the fine print.