Ohio Auto Insurance Requirements

Reader’s Question:

I moved to Ohio for a job. I’m wondering if there would be changes to my auto insurance now that I am here. (I’m from South Carolina). Care to enlighten me?

Godfrey

Akron, OH

Hello there, Godfrey. Of course, there will be differences in how auto insurance is done in South Carolina and Ohio. Let us start with where you hail from to get a better perspective on things.

South Carolina is one of the states where liability auto insurance is not considered as a requirement. As a refresher, liability auto insurance covers damages sustained in a motor vehicle accident caused by the driver of the policy holder. This may include the bystanders, passengers and drivers of other cars involved in the accident. There is also coverage for property damage (usually the other car). Now, if you read up about this liability insurance on the internet, you would usually see numbers like 15/30/10. These just represent the limits that the auto insurance will cover. That set of number is read as $15,000 per head per accident with a limit of $30,000 for injured people involved. The 10 is $10,000 maximum property damage that the auto insurance company will shoulder. In South Carolina, underinsured/ uninsured motorist auto insurance coverage is a requirement. This type of coverage simply protects the policy holder from damage sustained from other motorists who don’t carry auto insurance.

Now, since you moved to Akron, Ohio, auto insurance will definitely change. In Ohio, the state will require you to carry 12.5/25/7.5 liability insurance on you. But the opposite is true for underinsured/ uninsured motorist auto insurance coverage.

Now, depending on how much your paycheck will allow, it is usually recommended that you get higher limits. Better be prepared than to get caught in a tricky situation like sustaining more damage than what your auto insurance company will shoulder.