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New Hampshire is one of only a few states in the country where you can legally register and drive your vehicle without carrying auto insurance. While that may sound like freedom, it comes with serious financial risk. If you cause serious injuries to others as a result of an automobile accident, or if you or your loved ones are injured in a crash, you could be personally responsible for medical bills, property damage, and other losses. If you are found responsible for the accident, you could face:
- Civil lawsuits from injured drivers or passengers
- Wage garnishment to pay medical bills and judgments
- Suspension of your driver’s license until damages are paid
- Seizure of assets, including savings and home equity
The Real Threat: Other Drivers Without Insurance
Even if you yourself are a safe driver, you can’t control what others do on the road. Because New Hampshire doesn’t require insurance, many drivers choose to go without it, leaving others to bear the financial burden. At Parker Scheer, we’ve seen firsthand how this lack of mandatory coverage can leave families vulnerable when an uninsured or underinsured driver causes serious injuries.
If you operate a vehicle in New Hampshire, we recommend that you carefully consider the amount of automobile insurance you purchase and include as much coverage as you can reasonably afford for un- and under-insured drivers.
Why Insurance Minimums Are Rarely Enough
If you choose to purchase Auto Liability Coverage in New Hampshire, the policy automatically includes Property Damage and Bodily Injury coverage, and a minimum of $1,000 in Medical Payments (MedPay) coverage. It also includes Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) protection at the same limits as your Bodily Injury coverage.
While the minimum coverage provided does offer a baseline of protection — typically $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident for Bodily Injury and $25,000 for Property Damage — these minimums are rarely enough after a serious crash. Repairing or replacing today’s vehicles can easily exceed $25,000, and medical costs have skyrocketed.
When choosing how much coverage to carry, consider what’s truly at stake: your savings, home, and financial security. Your liability limits should be high enough to protect your assets.
Here’s a closer look at why additional coverage is strongly recommended.
Property Damage: Coverage for Others
The minimum coverage in New Hampshire for property damage, including the total destruction of another person’s (or company’s) vehicle or property, is $25,000. Increasing this limit is an inexpensive way to protect against potentially devastating repair or replacement costs.
Bodily Injury: Coverage for Others
In New Hampshire, the minimum coverage for Bodily Injury is $25,000/$50,000. This means that $25,000 is available for one individual and only $50,000 is available for two or more people injured in the accident, regardless of the severity of the injuries. In serious crashes, these costs often reach several times that amount and you may be required to cover the difference yourself.
We recommend increasing this coverage to the maximum offered by your insurer and also supplementing with additional umbrella coverage if possible. Importantly, this coverage does not extend to you or your passengers.
Medical Payments (MedPay): Coverage for You
Pursuant to NH RSA 264:16, if you buy auto insurance for personal use, you must also buy a minimum of $1,000.00 in Medical Payments Coverage. Medical Payments Coverage pays for medical expenses incurred as a result of an automobile accident, regardless of who is at fault, and can help manage the financial impact of injuries when health insurance doesn’t cover everything. Maximizing your MedPay coverage is optional, but can be invaluable. Here’s what MedPay can do for you:
- Cover your emergency-room visits, ambulance costs, X-rays, and other accident-related care
- Pay out quickly without waiting for fault to be determined
- Help cover your co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-network bills
- Can reduce or satisfy health-insurance liens when your claim settles
The $1,000 minimum requirement for MedPay in New Hampshire is low. We recommend at least $25,000 in MedPay coverage, and many insurers offer higher limits for just a few dollars more per month.
Uninsured Motorist (UM)/Underinsured Motorist (UIM): Coverage for You
As the names imply, UM coverage steps in when the at-fault driver has no insurance and UIM coverage applies when the other driver’s limits are too low to cover your losses. UM/UIM coverage pays for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Long-term or permanent disability
- Death benefits for surviving family members
In New Hampshire, the amount of UM/UIM coverage is tied to the amount of coverage you select for Bodily Injury, which is one reason we strongly recommend increasing that coverage. Too often, motorists injured by an uninsured driver discover that the maximum amount available to them and their family members (before attorney’s fees and medical costs) is just $25,000. Some insurers offer $250,000/$500,000 policies or more, and umbrella policies of up to $10 million could be available.
Purchasing the highest amount of UM/UIM coverage you can afford can be among the smartest insurance decisions you can make for your and your family’s future.
How To Make Sure You’re Protected in New Hampshire
In a state where it’s legal for drivers to carry no auto insurance, protecting yourself is not optional, it’s essential. The most effective way to safeguard your family is to:
- Review your current policy and confirm your MedPay and UM/UIM limits
- Increase your limits to ensure meaningful financial protection after a serious crash
- Consider umbrella coverage for additional peace of mind
Call the Experienced Auto Accident Attorneys at Parker Scheer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident in New Hampshire, contact the experienced personal injury team at Parker Scheer. We regularly work with every major insurance provider in New Hampshire and know how to secure significant financial compensation for you and your family.
