How Does Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Work in Utah?

Utah requires car owners to carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, which pays for medical costs, lost income and other related expenses for injuries from an accident. Also called no-fault insurance, PIP pays for your injuries no matter who is at fault for a collision. It also covers any passengers in your vehicle, as well as any pedestrians or bicyclists who get hurt in the accident. PIP insurance isn't required in Utah for motorcycles, trailers or semitrailers.

How does PIP insurance work in Utah?

In addition to liability insurance, Utah requires all drivers to have at least $3,000 of personal injury protection insurance. Drivers who want additional protection can typically purchase it from their insurer, and limits can extend up to $100,000 in coverage. The minimum PIP insurance provides coverage for:

PIP insurance extends to the driver of the car, as well as any passengers. Since personal injury protection is first-party coverage, your insurer will pay these expenses no matter which party is at fault.

Medical expenses

Most reasonable medical procedures and services are covered by personal injury protection insurance. These costs include things like X-rays, dental services, nursing, hospital costs, prescriptions and rehabilitation. Associated expenses, such as ambulance transportation, can also be covered by PIP insurance.

Lost income

PIP insurance will reimburse you for lost wages if you demonstrate that you are unable to work due to injuries sustained in an accident. The minimum required coverage in Utah limits the payout to 85% of lost income or $250 per week, whichever is lower. You'll only receive compensation for lost income for a maximum of 52 weeks, even if your injuries extend beyond this time frame. If you're still unable to work after a year, you would have to rely on your own funds, or you could pursue a claim against the other driver, if you meet the state's tort threshold.

In order to receive PIP benefits for lost income, you may need a doctor's written confirmation that you were unable to work due to injuries specifically from the collision. This information will be reviewed by your insurance adjuster.

Special allowance

If you're unable to perform normal household tasks due to injuries from an accident, personal injury protection will pay up to $20 per day for someone to provide those services, such as cleaning, child care, cooking, home maintenance, yard work and other typical household activities. You may need to provide confirmation from a doctor that you're unable to complete these tasks due to injuries from the accident. In addition, the special allowance only provides coverage for up to 365 days, even if your injuries extend longer.

How and when to file a PIP claim in Utah

If you are injured in a car accident, you would first file a claim with the insurer that covers the vehicle you were in during the collision. If you were a pedestrian or bicyclist involved in an accident with a vehicle, you would turn to that vehicle's personal injury protection insurance for coverage. The exception would be if you were hurt while driving a vehicle for business purposes, in which case you would use your commercial insurance first.

When you contact the insurer, they should provide you with a PIP application that describes the information needed to complete the claim. This will typically include contact information for all service providers, such as doctors and pharmacies, as well as details of your employer and any time away from work. These details will go to your insurance adjuster and support your PIP claim.

How much does PIP insurance cost in Utah?

The cost of PIP insurance in Utah is based on the amount of coverage, the city you live in and your driving history. As you can see from the sample quotes below, the cost of personal injury protection can vary by more than $60 per month, depending on your coverage limits.

You're allowed to purchase PIP insurance in Utah without income loss protection, which will reduce your premiums slightly. But this option is only available if you were not employed for at least 31 days prior to purchasing coverage and remain unemployed for at least 180 days after the policy is in place. This restriction would also apply to your spouse.

Utah PIP tort threshold

Because no-fault states require you to carry PIP insurance, they typically also restrict your ability to sue the other party in an accident, unless damages reach a certain threshold, called a tort threshold. This restriction is intended to reduce the number of minor lawsuits.

In Utah, you can't sue the other party in a collision for general damages, such as pain and suffering, unless at least one of the following criteria is met:

However, you can sue the other party for "special damages," such as lost income and medical expenses, without reaching the tort threshold. If the other party wasn't insured, you can sue them for general damages without meeting the criteria above, as they aren't protected by the no-fault statute.

Note that if you have PIP coverage over $3,000, you can sue for general damages without having used up your PIP insurance, so long as the total necessary medical expenses exceeds $3,000.