Learned the hard way why liability-only is a gamble — please read before you drop coverage
I never thought I'd be the person posting something like this, but somebody in another thread told me to share my experience because it might help someone make a smarter choice than I did.
Couple years back I had a perfectly good sedan, totally paid off. I dropped down to liability-only to save some money every month — probably cutting my premium in half. Made sense at the time. I wasn't a risky driver, I figured I'd never cause an accident, so why pay extra?
Then one afternoon some guy blows through a red light at a busy intersection and T-bones me. Hard. My car was totaled on the spot. Come to find out the guy had a suspended license and zero insurance. Just... nothing.
My insurer? Basically said "sorry, not our problem" — because I didn't have uninsured motorist coverage or comp/collision. I'd stripped all of that out to save maybe $60 a month.
The other driver got cited and a judge eventually told him he owed me the value of the car. Great, right? Except nobody actually made him pay, and I was told pursuing it would cost me more in legal fees and headaches than I'd likely ever collect. So I just... ate the loss. Plus I'd just done a bunch of deferred maintenance on that car right before the crash — new brakes, fresh battery, the works.
I was without reliable transportation for weeks. It genuinely messed up my work situation.
I now carry full coverage including uninsured motorist on my current car even though it's older and not worth a ton. The monthly difference is not that deep and the peace of mind is real.
Just — if you're thinking about dropping down to liability to save money, at least keep your UM coverage. Please.