New Law Signed Which Helps Victims of Hit and Run Accidents, Prohibits the Use of Step-Down Provisions to Limit Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist

New Law Signed Which Helps Victims of Hit and Run Accidents, Prohibits the Use of Step-Down Provisions to Limit Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Car Insurance Policies

This new law prohibits the use of "step-down" provisions in motor vehicle liability policies issued to corporate or business entities to lower uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for employees to the limits of coverage available to the employees under their personal policies. This new law is in response to the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in Pinto v. New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company, 183 N.J. 205 (2005). In Pinto, the court held that as to a motor vehicle liability policy that names a corporate or business entity as a named insured, step-down provisions which limit uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for employees of that entity that are not individually named on the policy are valid and enforceable. Thus, the court's ruling allows an employee's coverage under an employer's business motor vehicle insurance policy to be limited to the lower limits of uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage contained in the employee's individual motor vehicle liability policy, even in situations in which the employee is injured in a covered vehicle in a work-related accident, if the employer's policy so provides. This new law reverses the effect of the Pinto decision by prohibiting step-down provisions in these policies. Further, the new law expressly provides that a policy that names a corporate or business entity as a named insured shall be deemed to provide the maximum uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage available under the policy to any individual employed by the corporate or business entity, regardless of whether the individual is an additional named insured under that policy or is a named insured or is covered under any other policy providing uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. Drivers now receive better protection against negligent drivers who have no insurance or bare minimum policies but cause traumatic injuries. The new law also helps persons injured in hit & run car accidents.