On a scale of one to ten, how important would you say buying Illinois car insurance is for Illinois drivers? Five? Seven? Believe it or not, groceries and medications aside your car insurance is one of the most important investments that you, as an Illinois driver, will ever make. Car insurance does a lot more than let you off the hook if you're in an accident. It protects your family and your assets from the long term devastation that those accidents leave behind.

Why Do I Need an Illinois Car Insurance Policy?

Imagine this. You're driving down I-90 in the middle of a Chicago winter when you suddenly find yourself sliding off the road-and taking three other cars with you. By the time the rescue teams have come and fished you out five people have to go to the hospital, three get to spend a quality week in the ICU, all three vehicles need repairs and the State of Illinois is complaining they need their guardrail replaced.

Let's do the math. The average ER visit costs approximately $1,000, with visits to the ICU running as high as $5,000 per day. That's $110,000 in medical expenses (give or take). The average repair cost after an accident is $1,200, so there's another $3,600 on your tab, and Illinois wants another $1,000 to rebuild their safety system. That's a minimum of $156,000 you're going to be held personally responsible for unless you've got an Illinois car insurance policy to take care of it.

How Much Insurance Do I Really Need?

How much insurance you as an Illinois driver need is debatable. The state of Illinois says that all drivers are required to carry uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage of up to $20,000 per person, or $40,000 per accident, bodily injury liability coverage of $20,000 per person, or $40,000 per accident and $15,000 to pay for any property damage. As you just saw, however, the state minimum may not be enough!

Most experts suggest you carry between $100,000 and $500,000 worth of liability coverage on your Illinois car insurance policy. More is obviously better, but you don't want to have to live on bread and water to pay your monthly premiums! Those same experts also recommend you carry collision and comprehensive insurance coverage to protect your car after an accident, making sure you're covered regardless of who (or what) was responsible for the damages in the first place.

What if I Can't Afford It?

The bottom line is that you can't afford not to have car insurance when you're out on the road. It's a lot harder to come up with $156,000 than it is to scrape together $120 a month for your premiums. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do everything you can to drive down the cost of your car insurance though! Most Illinois car insurance providers offer discounts for your driving record, your car's safety and security features, your job, your age and a hundred other things, so make sure you talk to your insurance agent before signing on the dotted line.