Auto
Car insurance is designed to protect you and people who share the road with you from the potentially high cost of damages or injuries that often result from an accident. A policy can protect your vehicle from physical damage, theft, flood, hit and run, animal damage (ex. deer), and more. Protection isn’t limited to your vehicle. Coverage for you personally, others in your vehicle, and other drivers are often core coverages in an auto policy.
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From our agents
“Comprehensive coverage. Even for older vehicles it’s often good to get this optional coverage because it covers accidents that we hear about more than others. The coverage is for things like theft, fire, flood, vandalism, animal impact, glass damage/replacement, etc. We’ve all heard of someone hitting a deer or having their windshield crack from a rock thrown up by the car in front of you - well this is the coverage you need for examples like that.”
“Massachusetts, among other states, requires that drivers carry minimum limits of insurance. These minimum coverages definitely help when compared to no coverage but with vehicles becoming more advanced and expensive, damages from accidents are getting more and more expensive. Increasing coverage limits isn’t always as expensive as you think it would be. For example, increasing coverage from $40,000 per accident to $300,000 can be as little as a few dollars. That’s a pretty low price to pay to increase your coverage that much.”
What does an auto policy cover?
It is important to understand that auto insurance can differ from state to state such as requirements from the state, coverages offered, premiums, etc. In Massachusetts you must have automobile insurance to register a car.
The basic MA auto insurance policy coverages are 1) Bodily Injury to Others, 2) Personal Injury Protection, 3) Bodily Injury Caused by Uninsured Auto, 4) Damage to Someone Else’s Property. Please see below for more information.
FAQs
Compulsory Coverages
MA mandates that you must purchase four compulsory coverages, called Compulsory (or Mandatory) Coverages, in, at least, minimum amounts unless you choose to purchase higher amounts. You may also add a assortment of Optional Coverages to meet your needs.
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Protects you, or someone you allow to drive your car, from legal liability if you accidentally injure or cause the death of someone else while operating your car. It only covers losses if the accident occurs in Massachusetts and does not cover the injury or death of a passenger in your car. You must buy at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 if more than one person is hurt.
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Covers medical expenses, up to 75% of lost wages and replacement services up to a limit of $8,000. Massachusetts is a no-fault state which means no matter who causes the accident, PIP will pay these expenses for you or anyone you let drive your car, anyone living in your household, passengers in your vehicle and pedestrians.
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Protects you, anyone you let drive your car, and household members and passengers (who are not covered under another similar Massachusetts policy) against loses caused by an uninsured or unidentified ("hit and run") driver. You must buy at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 total for all people injured by the uninsured auto in the accident.
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Also known as Property Damage, pays for damage to another person's property when you, a household member or another driver you allow to use your car cause accidental damage to another person's property. You must purchase a policy that has a minimum limit of $5,000.
Optional Coverages
The losses that a person injured in an automobile accident incurs and the damage to property from an accident sometimes may be much greater that the insurance provided by the mandatory coverages.
For most drivers, the minimum levels of insurance will not give them enough protection and they may want to insure themselves for other types of losses that may result from automobile accidents. For those reasons, people choose to purchase higher limits of property damage and bodily injury coverage, to purchase collision and comprehensive coverage, or to purchase other types of coverage.
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Pays for direct and accidental damage or loss to your vehicle that is caused by something other than a collision, such as vandalism, fire and theft, falling objects, larceny, or contact with a bird or animal. Comprehensive coverage also covers glass breakage not related to a collision.
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Pays for damage to your auto that is caused by the physical contact of your auto with another object, such as another vehicle or property like a guard rail. Collision coverage will pay for damage to your car no matter who caused the accident
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Pays for reasonable expenses for necessary bodily injury medical expenses and funeral services to anyone in your auto resulting from an accident, or if you or a household member is struck by an auto or while in someone else’s auto at the time of an accident.
Miscellaneous
Auto insurance is intertwined with more than just cars. Motorcycles, trailers, plowing, transportation services, ride-sharing, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, and more all interact with the insurance industry. Please find a brief list of some common miscellaneous topics.
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The RMV has a very comprehensive and easy to use website. We highly encourage you to visit their website with questions regarding RMV transactions such as; registering and titling a vehicle, transferring plates, etc.
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Most people ask about utility trailers and adding them to their auto insurance policy. There are other types of trailers though such as recreational¹, pup-up tent², etc. When adding a trailer to your policy it is important to advise your agent what kind of trailer it is.
¹ Designed for vacation / camping use. Towed by an automobile or truck with a bumper hitch. Equipped with bathing, cooking and sleeping facilities. May have additional options such as air conditioning and awnings.
² Constructed with collapsible sidewalls that fold or slide down for easy towing by a light vehicle. Typically less than 12 feet long. Ranges from 15 to 23 feet (when opened). Very basic with few luxuries. Larger unit may contain refrigerator, stove and/or furnace, and may sleep up to eight people.
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Insurance companies in MA do not provide Personal Injury Protection¹ (PIP) on for motorcycles. When insuring a motorcycle it is recommended to explore the Medical Payments² coverage as it can help fill the gap PIP would normally cover.
¹ Covers medical expenses, up to 75% of lost wages and replacement services up to a limit of $8,000. Massachusetts is a no-fault state which means no matter who causes the accident, PIP will pay these expenses for you or anyone you let drive your car, anyone living in your household, passengers in your vehicle and pedestrians.
² Pays for reasonable expenses for necessary bodily injury medical expenses and funeral services to anyone in your auto resulting from an accident, or if you or a household member is struck by an auto or while in someone else’s auto at the time of an accident.
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Ride-sharing programs such as Uber, Lyft, and others are commonplace especially in larger cities. Most insurance companies have or are putting in place exclusions for drivers working for such companies though; usually specifically as soon as a driver logs into the ride sharing app as a driver until the time they log off. During this period of time these drivers more likely than not do not have insurance due to this exclusion.
Companies do/are starting to offer endorsements¹ that remove this exclusion allowing the insured driver to work without voiding coverage for the duration of their shift.
If you participate as a driver on a ride sharing network please advise your agent as coverage more likely than not has to be added to your policy.
¹ A change to your insurance policy, such as an addition of coverage.
New Drivers
In Massachusetts, adding a newly licensed driver to your auto insurance policy can significantly increase your premium. This is because new drivers, particularly teens, are considered high-risk due to their inexperience. Additionally, any driver on your policy—new or experienced—who is involved in an accident or receives a violation will see an increase in their SDIP (Safe Driver Insurance Plan) points. Higher SDIP points lead to surcharges on your premium and may even make it difficult to find insurance through the voluntary market. In such cases, coverage must be obtained through the Massachusetts Auto Insurance Plan (MAIP), which typically comes with higher rates. At Peter P. Briggs Insurance Agency, we understand how stressful and costly this can be for families. Our experienced agents can help you navigate the process, find discounts, and ensure your family is properly covered. Contact us to learn more about how to manage adding a new driver and maintaining affordable insurance.
Looking for more information?
Briggs is open Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:30 EST.
(closed for lunch between 12:00-1:00)
Email: contact@peterbriggsins.com
Phone: 508-758-6929