Adds property damage to statutory underinsured motor coverage, rather than just uninsured motorist coverage, as it is presently.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would have expanded a type of car insurance protection in Rhode Island called underinsured motorist coverage to include property damage — meaning damage to your car or other property. Currently, Rhode Island law requires underinsured motorist coverage to protect drivers for bodily injury (personal injuries) when the at-fault driver doesn't have enough insurance, but it does not require the same protection for property damage. This bill aimed to close that gap.

In practical terms, if you were in a car accident caused by someone who had car insurance but not *enough* insurance to fully cover the damage they caused to your vehicle, your own underinsured motorist coverage would — under this bill — help pay the remaining costs. Right now, that property damage protection only exists for accidents involving drivers who have no insurance at all (uninsured motorist coverage), not for drivers who are simply underinsured.

This bill would have primarily affected Rhode Island drivers and their auto insurance policies. It could have led to broader insurance protections for vehicle owners, though it may also have had implications for insurance premiums depending on how insurers responded to the expanded requirement.

It is worth noting that this bill was withdrawn at the sponsor's request and did not advance through the legislative process, so it has no current effect on Rhode Island law.