What Does $100K/$300K/$100K Mean on a Georgia Auto Policy?

What does $100K/$300K/$100K mean? It describes three liability limits on an auto policy. The first number is the most an insurer pays for one injured person. The second is the most for everyone hurt in one crash. The third is the most for damage to other people’s property. This page explains each number with a worked example and the Georgia and federal rules behind them. T. Madden & Associates, P.C. has practiced personal injury law since 1999.

What the three numbers in 100/300/100 mean

The first number is the bodily injury limit per person. The second is the bodily injury limit per accident. The third is the property damage limit per accident.

In dollars, that’s up to $100,000 for one injured person, up to $300,000 for everyone injured in one crash, and up to $100,000 for damage to other people’s property.

These are liability limits. They pay other people’s injuries and property damage when the policyholder is legally at fault. They don’t pay the policyholder’s own injuries, which fall under different parts of the policy. Your declarations page lists the limits you carry, so start there.

How per-person and per-accident limits work together

The per-person limit caps what any one injured person can collect under the policy. The per-accident limit caps the total for everyone hurt in the same crash.

Here’s a simple example. A driver with 100/300/100 limits causes a crash that hurts three people. In this hypothetical, Person A has a claim worth $90,000. Person B has a claim worth $150,000. Person C has a claim worth $40,000.

Person A is paid $90,000, which is under the $100,000 per-person limit. Person B is capped at $100,000, even though the claim is larger. Person C is paid $40,000. The total is $230,000, which stays under the $300,000 per-accident limit.

The policy sets a ceiling, not a value. What an injury claim is worth depends on the facts of that claim. Medical expenses are limited to the reasonable value of medically necessary care, and the judge or jury decides that amount O.C.G.A. § 51-12-1.1.

How 100/300/100 fits with Georgia’s auto insurance rules

100/300/100 is a limit a driver chooses when buying a policy.

Under O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11, a Georgia auto liability policy must contain uninsured motorist coverage. The insured may choose uninsured motorist limits lower than the policy’s liability limits. Your uninsured motorist limit is a separate choice, so compare it with your liability limit.

Other people who saw the crash may also be able to describe what happened.

Whether 100/300/100 fits a household depends on the facts, such as assets, the number of vehicles, and how much the family drives.

Why limit size matters more in truck and serious-injury crashes

Limit size matters more in truck crashes because federal rules require many commercial carriers to carry set minimum coverage. Those amounts can be large.

For for-hire carriers in interstate or foreign commerce hauling nonhazardous property, the federal schedule sets $750,000 for vehicles rated at 10,001 pounds or more 49 C.F.R. § 387.9. Certain hazardous materials carry higher amounts, such as $5,000,000 for specified bulk hazardous substances.

A carrier may not operate a motor vehicle until the required coverage is in effect 49 C.F.R. § 387.7.

Serious injuries add another layer. Medical and long-term care costs can exceed a standard policy’s limits, so the amount of coverage matters more.

Fatal crashes raise a different question. Georgia law lets certain family members bring a wrongful death claim. When there is no surviving spouse, a child or children may recover the full value of the parent’s life, as shown by the evidence O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2. When death of a human being results from a crime or from criminal or other negligence, the personal representative is entitled to recover funeral, medical, and other necessary expenses resulting from the injury and death O.C.G.A. § 51-4-5. Every claim from the same crash shares one per-accident limit, so the number of claimants matters.

Who is covered when someone else drives your car

Many auto policies cover a permissive driver, meaning someone who has the named insured’s permission to drive the car. The policy’s own wording decides whether a particular driver qualifies.

A friend, relative, or partner driving your car may or may not be covered. The answer turns on the policy’s definitions, any listed excluded drivers, and how the car was being used.

Start with your declarations page. It names the insured and lists the drivers on the policy. Then find the definitions section and the part that describes who counts as an insured while driving. Write the exact words down so you can ask about them.

Limits and driver rules work together. A broad permissive-driver clause paired with a low limit can leave a large injury claim partly unpaid, so read both.

Talk with our team about your crash and insurance questions

Insurance limits feel urgent when someone you love has been hurt, and the paperwork is hard to follow. You may be reading this for an injured parent, a spouse, a child, or a friend. You may also be the driver who got a letter from an insurer after a crash you didn’t plan. Either way, these decisions can be hard to make alone.

Before you talk with anyone, gather a few items. Bring your declarations page, the claim number, and any letters from insurers. Note any request for a recorded statement and the date it arrived. Those details make the limits and next steps easier to discuss.

Quick answers

If a crash has left you or someone you love facing an insurer’s letter you don’t understand, you can reach out to T. Madden & Associates, P.C. for a free first consultation. It’s confidential and comes with no obligation to continue. You can start through our contact page.

Responsible lawyer: Terance Madden, T. Madden & Associates, P.C. The firm has offices in Jonesboro, Atlanta, Decatur, Macon, and Augusta, Georgia. Contact details are on our contact page. This page is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.