The minimum amount of liability coverage that you operate a motor vehicle as a private person is governed by a statute. If a driver injures you, and they injure you in an amount over the minimum of insurance coverage, there is a type of coverage that you can elect to have called underinsured coverage. Underinsured motorist coverage is a type of coverage that when you are purchasing your insurance, you want to be aware of. In purchasing the insurance, you can basically buy insurance that protects you up to an amount that you would choose in the event that the driver of the vehicle that would possibly injure you would have less coverage.
To obtain underinsured motorist coverage, you need to talk with your insurance provider, your insurance company or your insurance agent. Generally, it is coverage that is provided on most policies. However, there are certain exceptions where it can be excluded, and when you talk with your insurer, you want them to explain that coverage because if you are involved in a serious accident, it could be very important to protect you and your family.
According to NerdWallet, uninsured motorist coverage is a different type of coverage than underinsured coverage. Uninsured coverage is coverage that you purchase to protect you in the event that the driver of another vehicle that might injure you in a collision has no coverage whatsoever. Uninsured motorists would be the type of driver that is on the roads and is in violation of the law and does not have any insurance coverage whatsoever. It can also mean someone who had coverage, but for some reason, under the policy, the policy no longer applies and they are not insured. That coverage cannot protect a driver for the occurrence where someone else would not have insurance.