Everything your car insurance needs to cover when driving in Ohio

When driving, you should always make sure you have the right car insurance; suiting your needs, budget, and state regulations. This article will help you to understand which insurance you will need in Ohio and the history of the state’s auto industry. 

There may be some facts you didn’t know about, like for bodily injury liability coverage, Ohio driver’s limits are written like so, $25,000/$50,000. 

But first, let’s explore the iconic history of Ohio…

The birthplace of flight

In 1907, the famed Wright brothers made many prototypes of an airplane in their bicycle shop on the west side of town, which then led to the first successful flight in history. In 2003, congress officially ruled that Ohio was the birthplace of flight.

Ohio isn’t just famous for aviation, but also, for its cars. 

James William Lambert was the man who invented the first single-cylinder gasoline-powered automobile. Whilst he was driving in Ohio, he hit a tree root, causing the car to lose control and smash into a post. This was deemed the first-ever automobile accident. There were only minor injuries. Lambert went on to patent over six hundred inventions with most of them related to the automobile industry.

To this day, Ohio ranks as the second largest state for car production in the US. 

Insurance you need

Firstly, you need to keep in mind that Ohio law requires that all drivers carry insurance or other proof of financial responsibility to legally operate any motor vehicle.

The main type of insurance you need in Ohio is liability coverage, of which there are two variations:

• Bodily injury liability coverage – If you accidentally injure someone else, who is not a passenger in your car, this type of coverage can help cover their medical bills.

For bodily injury liability coverage, Ohio driver’s limits are $25,000/$50,000, as previously mentioned. The $25,000/$50,000 numbers reflect that you are carrying $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person and $50,000 of bodily injury coverage in total.

• Property damage liability coverage – If you damage someone’s car or personal property, this type of coverage can cover the cost to repair or replace any damages. 

Other types of coverage

• Comprehensive – If your car is stolen or vandalized, you can claim on your insurance to repair or replace your car.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UM/UIMBI) – This will help cover your lost wages and medical bills related to the injuries caused by an uninsured or an underinsured driver.
• Collision coverage – This will help with the payment to repair or replace your own car if it’s damaged in an accident with another vehicle or object, especially if you are not the one who caused the accident.
• Medical payments coverage – If you or other passengers in your car get hurt in a car accident, this coverage comes into play, regardless of who was at fault.

Additional coverage

• Temporary transportation coverage
• Roadside assistance
• Glass and windshield coverage

We hope this article has given you more of an understanding of the insurance you need whilst in Ohio, as well as the history of the state.

Bear in mind that each state is different, and before going somewhere you should always check what the regulations are and which insurance type you may need. In addition to this, especially if you are traveling, you should always carry your legal documents on you. In some states, this is a legal requirement, whereas, in others, it’s not – but it’s better to be safe than sorry!