Unidentified Motorist Coverage

What Does Unidentified Motorist Coverage Mean?

Unidentified motorist coverage refers to an insurer compensating the owner of an insured vehicle for damages resulting from an accident in which the responsible party is unknown or their identity cannot be traced. To qualify for coverage, the insured must follow a process that includes surrendering the damaged vehicle for inspection.

Insuranceopedia Explains Unidentified Motorist Coverage

Unidentified motorist coverage, if included in a person’s car insurance policy, provides assistance to the driver of the insured vehicle in the event of a hit-and-run accident. Hit-and-run drivers make up a meaningful share of overall uninsured motorist statistics, since a driver who flees the scene is treated by most policies the same way as one without insurance. The driver must be able to prove that the accident was a hit-and-run or that the other driver cannot be identified for other reasons. Some insurers require the accident to be reported to both the police and the insurer within a specified time frame for the insurer to begin processing the claim. How strictly that time frame is enforced varies by insurer, so it’s worth comparing the best car insurance companies to see how each one handles unidentified motorist situations before you buy a policy.