Los Angeles is the Hit and Run Capital

Los Angeles is known for many things. Let’s add “hit and run capital” to the list.

According to a recent article, Los Angeles hit and run statistics are appalling. Between 2014 and 2018, there were over 100,000 hit and run crashes in the City. Almost 24,000 of those were felonies—meaning somebody got hurt in the collision. The District Attorney’s office secured convictions in a little more than 160 of these cases.

I recall reading a few years ago that the Los Angeles Police Department receives reports of nearly 20,000 hit and run crashes per year in Los Angeles. And these are not always property damage claims alone. A precious, 4-year-old girl was killed last week in a Los Angeles hit and run crash.

People ask me all the time what they can do to protect themselves from a Los Angeles hit and run. While we can’t control other drivers, there is something we can do: Maintain adequate uninsured motorist coverage.

Every car insurer is required to offer uninsured motorist coverage in California. There are millions of uninsured drivers, and the number goes up in cities like Los Angeles.

If you’re involved in a hit and run crash, your uninsured motorist provisions of your auto insurance policy will protect you from unwanted medical bills and associated treatment. If you’re the victim of a hit and run, you’ll still need to file a police report within 24 hours of the collision. If the authorities are unable to locate the hit and run perpetrator, your uninsured motorist coverage steps in and takes the place of the driver who hit you.

That’s why it’s vital to maintain adequate coverage. The state minimum of $15,000 is, in most cases, nowhere near the amount of coverage that suffices in a hit and run crash.

People ask me how much coverage is adequate. That number is different for every person. But I always recommend drivers carry a minimum of $100,000 in uninsured motorist coverage. Note that your uninsured motorist coverage cannot exceed your liability coverage. So if your liability coverage is $50,000, you cannot carry $100,000 of uninsured motorist coverage.

But if your liability coverage is $100,000, your uninsured motorist coverage can (and should be) equal to that—$100,000.

Sometimes I see clients who have $100,000 in liability coverage, and only $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage.

What happens if this client gets rear-ended by a speeding car that flees the scene, leaving this client with years of medical treatment and possibly surgery? Do you think $25,000 will be enough to cover all these expenses?

Take it from me—it won’t be.

I’m offering to take a free look at your auto insurance policy to help guide you and ascertain whether you are properly insured. Send me an email or contact me here through my website for details.

And remember, if you were injured in a Los Angeles or Orange County hit and run, the Rabbi Lawyer is ready to assist, 24/6.