When it comes to the mandatory car insurance categories, people in Charlotte, often settle for the minimum amount necessary to satisfy the legal requirements of driving a car in North Carolina.

Tragically, this is sometimes the cause of much suffering and heartache if the unthinkable should happen, and they become involved in an automobile accident in Charlotte, without sufficient insurance coverage to cover the damages and injuries that could result.

The focus of this article is uninsured motorist coverage (often referred to as UM coverage) and underinsured motorist coverage (often referred to as UIM coverage), which is not a legal requirement of every state, but should be seriously considered by every driver where this is an option.

Uninsured motorist coverage kicks in when an uninsured driver causes injury to you, or others designated in your policy. (Such as passengers, household residents and designated drivers.) Underinsured motorist coverage is similar, but takes effect when someone who is insured and is legally responsible for the accident that causes injury to you or others designated by your policy, does not have sufficient bodily injury liability insurance to cover the full cost of your medical bills, lost income and other expenses. (Be sure to read and understand the fine print on your policy, as each insurance company often offers something slightly different from another.)

These types of coverage also offer protection to you and your designates in cases of hit-and-run type accidents and injuries that could be sustained as a pedestrian involved in an automobile accident. UM and UIM insurance coverage will protect you, up to the coverage limit that you purchase.

An important point to mention is that uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance usually deals specifically with injuries and not with vehicle and property damage resulting from an uninsured or underinsured driver who is at-fault in an accident. Some states do allow uninsured motorist property damage coverage, but damage to your car would typically be covered by collision coverage and damage to other property by Property Damage Liability insurance.

There are several reasons that drivers in Charlotte should seriously consider adding this kind of insurance protection or even increasing it if you already have it.

Consider the following scenarios, and ask yourself what impact a similar event would have on your life, your family's lives and your financial well being:

A) Many drivers in Charlotte, seeking to save money on their insurance costs opt for the minimum amount of auto insurance required by law. Unfortunately, one of these minimally insured drivers is the cause of a serious accident involving you and your family. After exhausting the limits of their coverage, you are still out of pocket for a large sum of money for your medical expenses, not to mention lost wages and pain and suffering. You sue the other party and win, but you find out that one of the reasons that they have the minimal insurance coverage is because they have no financial resources to speak of.
B) You're driving home from a short weekend getaway with your spouse and kids. It's become dark outside and has begun to rain quite hard. Being the conscientious driver that you are, you slow down and make sure that you come to a full stop at all stop signs and traffic lights, being careful to check for oncoming traffic before going through intersections. Halfway through one such intersection, your vehicle is violently impacted and that is the last thing you remember. When you come to, there is initially no one around to witness the carnage. The other vehicle that was being driven without their lights on and by a thoroughly drunk driver is nowhere to be found. You are the victim of a hit-and-run accident. There is no one to sue for your losses.

While we sincerely hope nothing of the sort ever happens to you, in both of the above scenarios, Underinsured and Uninsured motorist coverage would be there to help, where (depending on the state) the terms of basic auto insurance would likely leave you in an extremely severe financial situation.

Thankfully, adding Underinsured and Uninsured motorist coverage will not typically add that much extra to your auto insurance bill in Charlotte. And, for this small additional cost to your premium each month, you can rest easier knowing that you and the people you care about are as well protected from disaster on the roads and highways of North Carolina as you can reasonably plan for.

Kate Phillips is a contributing writer at kanetix.com, Serving Charlotte car insurance quotes / Auto insurance quotes Charlotte. For the Car Insurance Charlotte Needs, visit kanetix for Free Quotes