Jul 5, 2024 2 min read

Pennsylvania requires all motor vehicles to be covered by liability insurance, which protects the public from personal injury and property damage due to another driver’s negligence. Insurance allows you to make financial recovery from the driver’s policy if you become a victim.

In 1974, Pennsylvania set required minimum liability coverage at $15,000 for injury of one person and $30,000 for multiple people in the same accident, and $5,000 for property damage. These minimums are shockingly low when you consider the cost of medical care and expense to repair or replace a vehicle.

Pennsylvania is at or near the bottom among states in mandatory insurance coverage. Ohio and West Virginia require $25,000 per person and $50,000 per collision in personal injury protection and $25,000 in property damage protection. Those figures are closer to the national average.

In five decades, inflation and the cost of living have drastically increased. What cost $1 in 1974 now costs $6. Bread increased from 28 cents to $1.50, and a gallon of gas jumped from 53 cents to $3.40. Although required property damage remains at $5,000, the average cost of an automobile increased from $4,400 in 1974 to $33,000 today. The average cost of a home in 1974 was $35,900, but it is now $400,000. Medical costs have skyrocketed.

In July 2022, state legislators introduced Senate Bill 676, which would have nearly doubled insurance minimums. The bill was referred to the insurance committee, and there it remains.

It is unconscionable that insurance minimums in Pennsylvania have stagnated for 50 years when the cost of everything else has increased exponentially – including your insurance premium.

The Legislature and the insurance industry owe Pennsylvanians increased minimum automobile insurance coverage.

James T. Davis

Uniontown

James T. Davis is a Uniontown attorney.