2. LEARN THE LINGO

Though insurance regulations can (and do) vary considerably from state to state, there are certain universal terms you'll need to know. These can be broken into two categories:

Types of coverage
General terms and phrases

Types of coverage

When you get in a car accident, there are tons of things that could happen: you hit someone, someone hits you, you hit a tree, a rock falls on you, someone breaks a window and steals your radio… As such, you might only want protection from certain types of disasters, preferring to have lower monthly premiums. Listed below are the five most popular types of coverage that people get.

Liability This protects you if you are found at fault in an accident by paying for damage to other people's cars and property, any medical bills they might have incurred as a result, as well as any "pain and suffering" the accident may have caused them. Far and away, liability coverage is by far the most important component of your insurance, as it is the only type of coverage required by law. CollisionPays for your repairs up to the book value of your car regardless of who was at fault in the accident. Whether you were rear-ended or did some rear-ending yourself, collision coverage will pay to have your dents hammered out and the bumper put back on. If you are leasing or financing a new car, dealers will often require that you have this type of insurance. Comprehensive Protects your pocketbook from wrathful acts of God by paying for the repairs of any physical damage caused to your car by anything other than a collision, such as fire, vandalism, theft, or hitting an animal (which, in our opinion, seems like a collision, but those crazy insurance guys don't see it that way). Medical Unlike liability (which pays for the hospital bills of those in the other car) this coverage pays for the bills of you and your passengers. This is also known as "Personal Injury Protection." Uninsured and Underinsured Driver Covers damages done to you, your passengers, and your car caused by uninsured or underinsured drivers as well as "hit and run" or other accidents caused by unidentifiable vehicles.

General terms and phrases

DeductibleThe amount of money you're willing to shell out before the insurance kicks in. The higher your deductible, the lower your monthly insurance bill. Here's how deductibles work: Say you have comprehensive collision insurance with a deductible of $500. You're driving along and you see a stunning man/woman sauntering on the sidewalk. Your eyes meet and he/she smiles, obviously intrigued by your evident charm, right as you drive smack into a telephone pole. Fortunately, the damage to the car is minimal: $600. You will now have to pay $500 of the damages and your insurance will kick in the last $100. No Fault A type of insurance (currently only in 13 states) created to thwart wily lawyers, and consequently lower insurance premiums, by requiring each driver's insurance to pay only for repairs to his own car, regardless of who was at fault in an accident. It didn't exactly work as intended, though, and most states still require that your insurance pay for the damage you do to another car in an accident where you are found at fault. At Fault This means you are responsible for an accident in the eyes of the law. Fault is described in percentages established according to certain arcane standards that are part of your state's traffic code. If you have 51% or more of the blame, you're at fault. Umbrella Policy

An insurance metaphor for a general insurance policy that covers all of your property (car, home, etc.).