"Mine covers up to 10k, which sounds good until you see hospital bills these days..."
Yeah, that's the truth. Mine's capped at 15k, and even that feels shaky when you think about how quickly medical expenses rack up. Had a buddy restore a classic Mustang—beautiful car—but after one minor accident, he blew through his PIP limit faster than you'd believe. Definitely makes you think twice about relying solely on PIP... better safe than sorry, especially with older cars like mine. Glad things are looking up for your coworker.
Yeah, those limits can disappear pretty fast. I had a similar wake-up call last year when my sister got rear-ended at a stoplight—nothing major, just some whiplash and minor injuries—but even that ate through her $10k PIP in no time. Makes me wonder if bumping up coverage is worth the extra premium... anyone here actually increased theirs and felt it was worth it? Seems like a gamble either way.
"Makes me wonder if bumping up coverage is worth the extra premium... anyone here actually increased theirs and felt it was worth it?"
I used to think the same way—figured basic PIP was plenty until a client of mine got into a pretty minor accident. Nothing dramatic, just a fender-bender, but the medical bills piled up surprisingly fast. After seeing that, I bumped my own coverage from $10k to $25k. Honestly, I haven't needed it yet (knock on wood), but the peace of mind alone feels worth the extra few bucks each month. Still skeptical about insurance in general, but sometimes it's better safe than sorry...
"Honestly, I haven't needed it yet (knock on wood), but the peace of mind alone feels worth the extra few bucks each month."
Fair point about peace of mind, but here's my take:
- Had basic PIP for years, never thought twice about it.
- Got rear-ended last year—nothing major, just sore neck and back for a few weeks.
- Bills came in higher than expected, but still under my basic coverage limit.
- Made me wonder though... if it had been worse, would I have regretted not bumping it up?
I ended up sticking with basic coverage because the math didn't seem worth it for me personally. But now I'm second-guessing myself again after reading your post. Curious if anyone here has actually maxed out their PIP coverage in a real accident scenario? Would be helpful to hear how that played out.
I get the peace of mind angle, but honestly, I've always leaned toward keeping my monthly costs down. Had basic PIP for years too, and never really thought about it until a friend of mine got into a pretty serious accident. She ended up maxing out her coverage quickly—hospital stays, physical therapy, the works. Luckily, her health insurance kicked in after that, but it was still a stressful experience.
It made me reconsider briefly, but when I ran the numbers, upgrading my PIP just didn't seem cost-effective compared to relying on my health insurance as backup. I guess it depends on your personal situation—like how good your health coverage is and how much risk you're comfortable with. Still, reading your experience does make me pause again... maybe it's worth another look at the math.
