Perhaps you comd survive the

Perhaps you comd survive the loss of * $3,000 car, even though \ it would be a heavy blow. But one careless second, one 'unexpected mechanical failure could lead to a $50,000 damage suit and financial' ruin, the editors go on to say. In two states, Massachusetts and New York, you ,can’t register a car unless you have liability in-" suranee. Most other states require niat any driver involed in an accident must either produce a liability policy or post a large sum of money or property. Thus the average car owners is in effect required to carry it, even though he cannot technically become a law violator until he is in an accident.

How much should you have? A $5,OO0/$l0,000 policy, for in. stance, would protect you up to $5,000 for injury to any one person and up to $10,000 for any one

ft. Either a 5/10 (as these

are described), or a 10/20

5,000 property-damage prowill

satisfy legal requirein

most places. But say the editors, 5/10 is not enough, and 10/20 is skimpy. Any average driver should carry at least 2^/50, if he can possibly swing the premium and 50/100 wouldn’t be out of line. People of even modest means should consider going higher than that, claim the editors.

Once juries awarded $5,000 or $10,000 for bodily injuries. Nor. adays verdicts of $25,000 or $50,000 are not uncommon, and. ' awards have run as high .as $100,000 or more.

Fortunately, the additional protection is not expensive. The big amount comes in the basic premium ; pushing the limits of’liabi. lity up a notch costs relatively little. For instance, rates for this kind of insurance in one locality ' increase onlv 21 per- cent from ; .10/20 to 501100, but the increase in protection is a whooping 400 per cent.„

Don’t compromise on liability protection in order to carry physical-damage protection or extra endorsements, warn the editor^. Adequate liability insurance always comes first.