Most drivers carry the state-required minimum liability coverage because it's the default their agent quoted, not because anyone calculated whether it's enough. The gap between 'legal' and 'sufficient' is where a lot of households end up exposed.
Start With What You'd Actually Lose
If you own a home, have savings, or earn a steady income, a judgment from a serious at-fault accident can reach into those assets once your policy limit is exhausted. Minimum limits in most states top out well below the cost of a single hospital stay.
What 100/300/100 Actually Means
A reasonable starting point for most homeowners is 100/300/100: $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $100,000 for property damage. If your net worth exceeds your policy limits, an umbrella policy is usually cheaper than raising auto limits alone.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Roughly one in eight drivers nationally carries no insurance at all, according to the Insurance Research Council, so if they hit you, your own UM coverage is what pays your medical bills. In North Carolina, the NC Department of Insurance requires uninsured motorist coverage to be offered with every auto policy.
