No matter where in Mississippi you’re driving, there’s always the chance for an accident. Negligent and reckless drivers make decisions that injure people on a daily basis. Car insurance laws are in place to ensure victims have access to the funds they need to recover. If you reside in Mississippi it’s important to understand the state’s auto insurance laws. This will ensure you are meeting the requirements and making the road a safer place.

Minimum Insurance Requirements in Mississippi

In order to ensure accident victims have access to the compensation they need to recover from a crash, all drivers in Mississippi are required to maintain and carry liability insurance. Strict minimum amounts of coverage are required. Drivers must have $25,000 liability coverage for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for total bodily injury or death, and $25,000 for property damage.

When you have to seek medical treatment because a negligent driver caused an accident, there are a number of tests your doctor may want to run. You may be concerned about the associated costs, but it’s important to remember that you can seek compensation for your injuries. One of the most common diagnostic tests a physician will order is an MRI. There are pros and cons of getting an MRI after filing a car accident claim. It’s important to understand those advantages and disadvantages, so you can make the best decision for your health and wellbeing.

Car crashes, even minor ones, are stressful to deal with. The stress is amplified when the other driver involved in your accident intentionally drives off, leaving the scene. This is referred to as a hit-and-run accident. Examples include when a person strikes your car while you’re both driving and they speed off in the opposite direction to avoid speaking with you, when a driver strikes a car in a parking lot and leaves without providing information, or when a drunk driver flees an accident scene to avoid being charged with a DUI.

One of the most prevalent challenges for the victim of a hit-and-run is finding the driver who caused the accident and abandoned the scene. Depending on the circumstances, the case may be resolved easily, or it could take time. In some cases, the negligent party may never be found.

In a car accident, a person’s head might get quickly whipped around from one side to another, otherwise known as whiplash. This soft tissue injury can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in the neck and shoulders. In fact, whiplash is the most common car accident injury. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), it affects nearly 75% of crash victims.

Drivers aren’t supposed to be on the road if they’re uninsured, but plenty of people do it anyway. For that reason, there’s uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance. Uninsured motorist (UM) insurance covers you if you are in a car accident with someone who does not have liability insurance. Underinsured motorist (UIM) insurance is for when a motorist has the state-required minimum insurance, but still does not have enough liability insurance to cover your injuries and damages. You might be annoyed when paying the premium for UM insurance, but you’ll thank yourself later in the event of an accident.

If you’ve been in a car accident and are working with your insurance company to get your vehicle repaired, you may come to find it has been totaled. Every state has its own threshold for total loss. If your crash happened in Mississippi, it’s important to understand the state’s policies and how it could affect your vehicle repairs or replacement. Typically, if your vehicle is a total loss your insurer won’t pay for repairs. Instead, they’ll need to determine how much your vehicle is worth. For this, there is a total loss formula. Prior to understanding how that formula works, however, you’ll want to recognize common signs that your vehicle may be totaled.

If you’re hurt in a car crash, there are a number of injuries you could be diagnosed with. Soft tissue injuries are among the most common – especially in minor to moderate accidents. While some people may think soft tissue injuries aren’t a big deal because they aren’t visible and typically don’t require serious medical intervention, this is not the case. Without the proper diagnosis and treatment, the injury could worsen and have debilitating consequences.

If you sustained injuries in an auto accident, seeking medical attention is the best way to ensure you recover as quickly as possible. If you think you have a soft tissue injury, you may be wondering what they are and how they happen, what the symptoms are, and how they’re treated.

After a car accident, most people are shaken and may be injured, but they still do the right thing. They stop at the scene, offer help to those if they need it, call emergency services, and will exchange their insurance information so they can report what happened to their insurance companies. When people flee the scene, they commit a hit-and-run. If you’ve been a victim of a hit-and-run, you may not know what to do next.

People often commit hit-and-runs because they are scared of what will happen if they take responsibility for the accident. It may result in points on their license or their insurance premium going up. They may also worry about losing their ability to drive. However, it’s much better to follow the law and take responsibility for the accident than fleeing the scene. Leaving means that the person will face much more serious consequences when they are caught.

With today’s technology, it’s easy for a negligent driver to get distracted behind the wheel. One of the primary distractions is cell phones. With notifications for text messages, emails, news alerts, phone calls, and more, drivers are often tempted to pick up their phones to attend to matters that could undoubtedly wait until they’re off the road.

When a driver doesn’t have their eyes, mind, and hands simultaneously focused on their vehicle and the road, the chances for an accident increases significantly. If a driver glances away from the road for five seconds while traveling 55 miles per hour, they will have traveled the entire length of a football field without processing what’s going on around them.

While there are many cars that offer hands-free cell phone options and phones that allow for voice commands, the issue of phone manipulation while driving is still a concern. Recognizing the dangers of distracted driving and making sure to drive responsibly is critical in preventing collisions.

Hearing that a loved one was in a car accident is a terrifying thing. It’s natural to worry about their injuries and how the recovery will affect them. You may find that their injuries can take a while to heal. It’s also completely natural to wonder what you can do to help.

There are plenty of ways you can support your loved one. Here are some tips: