Will your car insurance protect you in the US?
Call your auto insurance provider before driving across the border


(NC)-A recent RBC Insurance/Ipsos Reid survey showed that only 38 per cent of Canadians checked the impact of their coverage with their auto insurance provider when they travelled and drove to the U.S.

According to Statistics Canada, Canadians took 1.1 million overnight car trips to the U.S. in November 2007, the highest in over 15 years.

But cross border shoppers and those on family vacations may not be aware of the serious financial risks in driving to the U.S. without adequate auto insurance.

If you have a car accident in the U.S. in which you're at fault and injure several people, your liability insurance coverage could be used up quickly, even if you had $1 million in coverage.

Liability insurance covers you when you are liable for causing personal injury or property damage and a claim is raised against you.

In many U.S. jurisdictions, the ability to sue is not restricted to serious injuries and liability settlements can be extremely high.

Awards made to automobile victims are not limited by the level of liability coverage of the person at fault. Once the damages reach the insurable limit, an at-fault driver would be responsible for the amount of the award that is in excess of the limit.

Most people have a $1 million liability limit, but the price of increasing your liability coverage is less than you might think. Increasing it to $2 million may only cost a fraction of your current insurance premium.

Talk to your insurance company before crossing the border, even for a day of shopping, to make sure that you have sufficient coverage for your specific needs, as you may spend more than you bargained for.

For more information, visit RBC General Insurance Company of Canada at rbcinsurance.com/online or call 1-800-769-2526.