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Georgia insurers are required to offer uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage with every auto policy, under O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11. It isn’t automatically forced onto every driver, but it isn’t optional for insurers to skip offering it, either — and rejecting it requires a specific written rejection, not just silence or an unchecked box.
This matters because Georgia only requires drivers to carry relatively low minimum liability limits, meaning many at-fault drivers on the road carry barely enough insurance to cover a serious injury. UM/UIM coverage is often the only real financial protection you have against an underinsured driver.
If you’re not sure whether you have UM coverage, or whether you actually signed a valid rejection, a Georgia car accident lawyer can help you check your policy before assuming you’re out of options.
Georgia law requires insurers to offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on every auto policy sold in the state, giving drivers the choice to accept or decline it.
Declining the coverage generally requires a written rejection signed by the policyholder — a verbal decision, an assumption by the agent, or simply not asking about it typically isn’t enough to validly waive the coverage.
Because Georgia’s minimum liability limits are relatively low, a driver who carries only the state minimum can leave you seriously underinsured if they cause a crash that results in significant medical bills.
UM/UIM coverage fills that gap by allowing you to recover from your own policy when the at-fault driver has no insurance, or not enough insurance, to cover your losses.
Georgia policies can offer UM coverage in different forms — some “add-on” policies pay on top of the at-fault driver’s liability limits, while “reduced-by” policies subtract what the at-fault insurer already paid.
Understanding which type your policy has matters significantly if you’re ever in a serious crash, since it directly affects how much total compensation is actually available to you. Georgia also allows stacking of UM coverage in certain circumstances if you have multiple vehicles or policies.
Review your declarations page or ask your insurance agent directly whether you have UM/UIM coverage and, if so, what type and limits apply.
If you’re involved in a crash with an uninsured or underinsured driver, review your policy — or have an attorney review it — before assuming you have no recourse. Related: what to do if the other driver has no insurance.
Not automatically, but insurers must offer it, and it generally applies unless you signed a valid written rejection. Many drivers have it without realizing.
If there’s no valid written rejection on file, you may still have UM/UIM coverage under your policy, even if you don’t specifically remember choosing it.
Add-on coverage pays on top of the at-fault driver’s liability limits, while reduced-by coverage subtracts what the at-fault insurer already paid, resulting in different total amounts available to you.
In most cases, yes — you can generally contact your insurer to add or increase UM/UIM coverage, though it typically applies going forward rather than to a crash that already happened.
It varies by insurer and coverage limits, but UM/UIM coverage is often a relatively small addition to a policy overall premium given the financial protection it provides.
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