The state of Washington considers as Mandatory, the ownership of the right Liability insurance policy, as well as adding to it Underinsured / Underinsured Motorist coverage.

The purpose of liability coverage is to take care of the expenses the insured causes to others, such as injuries or damage to property. On the other hand, Uninsured / Underinsured motorist can help pay for the insured costs.

Minimum liability coverage required by this state is that of 25-50-10 this means:

• $25,000 to pay for one person injury expenses or death
• $50,000 to pay for combined injuries or death caused to others and,
• $10,000 to pay for damage caused to others property.

While the minimum established for Uninsured Motorist coverage requires a combination of 25-50-5, meaning:

• $25,000 to pay for one person's injures,
• $50,000 to pay for your passenger's expenses and
• $5,000 for damage to your property.

Insurance ID card is considered as proof of owning insurance and it is requested to be carried with the vehicle at all times. Law enforcement officers are entitled to request it on routine inspections or if you are involved in an accident.

You may also find other types of insurance available to purchase. Most commonly acquired are Comprehensive and Collision coverage. These types of coverages are intended so the insured can pay for any expenses derived from fixing physical damage caused to the insured vehicle. While the mandatory coverage helps pay for damages and injuries you may cause to others, collision and comprehensive will pay for your own property, however, these coverages will never pay for any medical or legal fees, so they will not cover hospital bills, ambulances or other type of medical needs.

Collision coverage will protect your vehicle against any damage it may suffer on an accident, regardless the type of collision it may suffer. Your insurer will provide you financial aid to fix your vehicle after it has been involved in an accident. Collision types can go from a common parking lot bump with another vehicle up to high speed collisions, this type of insurance coverage will even pay if you manage to flip your car over by yourself and no other vehicle was involved.

In addition, Comprehensive coverage addresses those accidents which are commonly referred to as "bad luck", such as vandalism and theft. Also it provides coverage for incidental events, like a branch falling from a tree and landing on top of your vehicle. Weather related events, such as flooding, tornados, hurricanes and fires are also covered by the comprehensive policy. This type of coverage comes in handy on those states in which weather has proven to be an uncontrollable force and you already know your vehicle might be exposed.

It is very important that when you acquire any of these complementary types of coverage to know that they will never pay for any medical expenses, legal fees or any type of monetary settlement between the insured and other parties involved in the accident.