For people that do not have to deal with insurance companies on a daily basis, understanding auto insurance is a difficult task. As a car accident attorney, I have dealt with insurance companies my whole career, so I would like to pass along my knowledge about the types of insurance you need to best protect yourself. These are: mandatory basic coverage, Personal Injury Protection, and Uninsured/Under-insured coverage.

- Mandatory Basic Coverage: In Washington State, every driver is required to have at least ,000 in basic auto insurance coverage. If you look at your insurance plan, this will likely be seen as “25/50.” This means that your insurance will cover any one person in an accident for up to ,000, and up to ,000 for any one accident. This level of insurance is only the minimal requirement, though. Having seen the enormous amount of damage that a car accident can cause, I would strongly suggest getting more than ,000 in basic coverage. Throughout my years as a personal injury attorney, I have seen a large number of accidents that result in damages greater than ,000 in total. Because auto accidents can lead to such high damages, I strongly recommend that you get the highest level of coverage that you can afford. Other common levels of insurance are “50/100,” “100/300,” “300/500,” all the way up to ,000,000 in coverage. This means that if you purchase “300/500″ insurance, then you will be covered up to 0,000 for any one accident. The easiest way to look at it is that you should be able to cover your assets with auto insurance. For example, if you have a house with an equity valued at 0,000, then you should have auto insurance of at least that much. This insurance coverage is the only requirement; however it is important that you protect yourself in other ways.

» Read more: Seattle Injury Lawyer Advice on Purchasing Car Insurance