Updated June 2026
What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage steps in when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance or can't be identified after a hit-and-run. It pays your medical expenses, lost wages, and in some states your vehicle repair costs, up to the limits you select when you add the coverage. Georgia offers this as an optional endorsement, meaning your policy won't include it unless you specifically request it or your carrier automatically adds it and you don't reject it in writing. The coverage costs far less than collision or comprehensive because it only pays when the other driver is both at fault and uninsured — a narrower trigger than collision, which pays regardless of fault.
- You return to your parked car and find $4,200 in damage to the driver's side — door, mirror, and front quarter panel crushed. No note, no witness, no plate number. Your collision coverage would pay the repair minus your deductible. Uninsured motorist property damage would also pay in this scenario, typically with a lower or zero deductible, but only if you added that specific endorsement when you bought the policy. If you carry neither, you pay the full $4,200 out of pocket.
- An uninsured driver runs a red light and T-bones your car. You suffer $18,000 in medical bills and $6,500 in vehicle damage. The at-fault driver has no insurance and no recoverable assets. Your uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays the $18,000 in medical costs up to your selected limit. Your collision coverage pays the $6,500 vehicle repair minus your deductible. Without uninsured motorist coverage, you would need to sue the at-fault driver personally and attempt collection — a process that rarely recovers anything when the driver couldn't afford insurance in the first place.
- You're stopped at a red light when the car behind you strikes your bumper at 35 mph. The other driver produces an insurance card, but when you file a claim you learn the policy was canceled for non-payment three weeks earlier. You have $9,200 in medical expenses and $5,800 in vehicle damage. Your uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage treats a lapsed policy the same as no policy and pays your medical costs. Your collision coverage handles the vehicle damage. The gap most retirees miss: Medicare covers your injury treatment, but it doesn't cover the three weeks of physical therapy your doctor ordered before you could return to normal activity, nor does it cover your vehicle — that's where this coverage earns its cost.
Who Needs Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Retirees who no longer carry collision or comprehensive coverage on a paid-off vehicle should still consider uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, particularly in Georgia where one in seven drivers operates without insurance. If you dropped full coverage to lower your premium, this endorsement preserves medical and lost-wage protection without the higher cost of collision. Medicare covers injury treatment, but it won't pay the gap between your medical expenses and what you can recover from an uninsured at-fault driver — and it won't cover your vehicle damage at all.
Compare the annual cost of uninsured motorist coverage to your health insurance deductible and the vehicle replacement cost you could cover from savings without financial strain. If your health plan carries a $3,000 deductible and this coverage costs $180 annually, you break even after roughly 17 years of premiums — longer than most retirees will drive. The decision tilts toward keeping it if you frequently drive in Metro Atlanta, where claim frequency is higher, or if your savings couldn't absorb a $15,000 injury expense without disrupting your retirement plan.
How Much Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage typically adds $8 to $18 per month to a Georgia auto policy, or roughly $96 to $216 annually, for limits matching your liability coverage.
- Coverage limits you select — most carriers price uninsured motorist to match your liability limits, so choosing $50,000/$100,000 costs less than $100,000/$300,000.
- Your county's uninsured driver rate — Metro Atlanta counties with higher uninsured motorist claim frequency often carry slightly higher premiums for this coverage than rural Georgia counties.
- Whether you add uninsured motorist property damage — the bodily injury endorsement costs $8 to $18 monthly; adding property damage coverage for your vehicle typically adds another $4 to $9 per month.
- Stacking election in multi-vehicle households — Georgia allows you to stack uninsured motorist limits across multiple vehicles on the same policy, which increases available coverage but also raises the premium.
- Your carrier's claim experience — insurers that process a high volume of uninsured motorist claims in Georgia price the coverage higher than carriers with lower claim rates, independent of your own driving record.