[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/increases-in-required-auto-liability-coverage-limits\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/increases-in-required-auto-liability-coverage-limits\/","headline":"Increases in Required Auto Liability Coverage Limits","name":"Increases in Required Auto Liability Coverage Limits","description":"Increases in Required Auto Liability Coverage Limits Will Help Injured People in North Carolina, Personal Injury Attorney Robert C. Younce Says Changes to Underinsured Motorist Coverage Also Benefit Seriously Injured People Increases in the required minimum auto insurance liability limits are good news for people seriously injured in a car...","datePublished":"2024-03-14","dateModified":"2026-02-26","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/author\/robert-c-younce\/#Person","name":"Robert C. Younce, JR","url":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/author\/robert-c-younce\/","identifier":42,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6647152964850e1d70dfca41b41571c73be8e36d0c6971401b8744fe1d25f8c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6647152964850e1d70dfca41b41571c73be8e36d0c6971401b8744fe1d25f8c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks P.A.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/logo2020b.png","url":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/logo2020b.png","width":390,"height":107}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/auto-liability-coverage.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/auto-liability-coverage.jpg","height":500,"width":750},"url":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/increases-in-required-auto-liability-coverage-limits\/","about":["Car Accidents","News"],"wordCount":808,"articleBody":"Increases in Required Auto Liability Coverage Limits Will Help Injured People in North Carolina, Personal Injury Attorney Robert C. Younce SaysChanges to Underinsured Motorist Coverage Also Benefit Seriously Injured PeopleIncreases in the required minimum auto insurance liability limits are good news for people seriously injured in a car accident in North Carolina, says attorney Robert C. \u201cChip\u201d Younce, founder of Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A. in Raleigh, N.C.Senate Bill 452, which the N.C. General Assembly passed in October 2023, made various changes to state insurance laws contained in N.C.G.S. 20-279.1(11) and N.C.G.S. 20-309(a2). The most significant changes for people injured in car collisions pertain to the minimum coverage requirements for auto liability insurance. The increases take effect in January 2025.Since 1999, the lowest amount of auto liability insurance you could have to legally drive a motor vehicle registered in North Carolina was $30,000 in liability coverage per injured person and $60,000 in coverage for all persons injured in a crash. No matter how many people were injured or how serious their injuries were, $60,000 is all the insurance that would be available to pay the accident victims\u2019 medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.\u201cIt was heartbreaking to inform a seriously injured person that the most money they could get from the negligent driver\u2019s insurance company was $30,000,\u201d says Younce, whose law firm represents accident victims harmed by at-fault drivers. When multiple people were injured by a negligent driver, the entire group of victims had to divide and share the $60,000 in coverage.Higher Minimum Liability Coverage LimitsThe new law raises the minimum coverage limits to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury claims. It also raises the coverage requirements for property damage from $25,000 to $50,000 to repair or replace damaged vehicles and other property.The changes in required auto insurance coverage limits will take effect January 1, 2025. After that date, all new policies written in North Carolina reflect the higher amounts.\u201cWhile these increased mandatory minimums have not kept up with inflation, they are still higher than most other states,\u201d Younce says.Changes to Uninsured Motorist CoverageAnother important change in the law applies to underinsured motorist insurance coverage (UIM). UIM is optionable coverage in North Carolina. To understand how it works, consider a hypothetical example:A victim is injured in an accident caused by an at-fault driver. The at-fault driver carries $50,000 in per-person bodily injury liability coverage. The victim has a UIM policy with $100,000 of coverage per person. Under present law, the UIM policy pays only the difference between the liability coverage limit and the UIM coverage limit. Thus, the at-fault driver\u2019s liability policy would pay $50,000, and the victim\u2019s UIM policy would pay an additional $50,000\u2014bringing the total available benefits to $100,000.Senate Bill 452 changes the law so that those who have UIM coverage can now collect the full face value of their underinsured motorist policy. An insurance company will no longer be able to reduce the amount of UIM coverage available by subtracting the liability payment. The victims who could previously only collect a total of $100,000 in benefits can now collect $150,000.\u201cThis is a huge benefit for North Carolina crash victims who suffer significant injuries,\u201d Younce says.\u201cWhile Senate Bill 452 made many other changes, these are the most important to our clients,\u201d Younce says. \u201cAs always, we advise all of our clients to buy as much underinsured motorist coverage as they can.”\u201cOver the years, we have criticized our North Carolina General Assembly much more than we have praised them,\u201d he says. \u201cBut fair is fair. When they do something good for our clients, we need to publicly recognize it.\u201dAbout The Law FirmThe law firm of\u00a0Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A. provides experienced, compassionate, and effective legal representation to victims of car accidents, personal injury accidents, injured workers seeking workers\u2019 compensation benefits, and people dealing with the family law issues surrounding separation and divorce. Robert \u201cChip\u201d Younce and David E. Vtipil are board-certified specialists in North Carolina workers\u2019 compensation law and are listed in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the area of workers\u2019 compensation \u2014claimants. The firm’s attorneys have an AV Preeminent rating from the highly regarded Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A. serves clients throughout the Triangle region and across North Carolina from its offices located at 3701 Lake Boone Trail, # 300, Raleigh, NC 27607.About the AuthorRobert C. Younce, JRRobert C. Younce is an attorney at Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A. and concentrates his law practice on personal injury and workers\u2019 compensation law. He has tried over 100 workers\u2019 comp cases to Opinion and Award and about a dozen personal injury jury trials to verdict. He has been board-certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a specialist in workers\u2019 compensation law since 2001."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Increases in Required Auto Liability Coverage Limits","item":"https:\/\/www.attorneync.com\/blog\/increases-in-required-auto-liability-coverage-limits\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]