(1) Every motor vehicle liability policy insuring against loss suffered by any natural person resulting from liability imposed by law for bodily injury or death arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle shall provide in the policy or by indorsement on the policy uninsured motorist coverage when the policy is either:
(a) Issued for delivery in this state; or
(b) Issued or delivered by an insurer doing business in this state with respect to any motor vehicle then principally used or principally garaged in this state.
(2)(a) A motor vehicle bodily injury liability policy shall have the same limits for uninsured motorist coverage as for bodily injury liability coverage unless a named insured in writing elects lower limits. The insured may not elect limits lower than the amounts prescribed to meet the requirements of ORS 806.070 for bodily injury or death. Uninsured motorist coverage shall include underinsurance coverage for bodily injury or death caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle with motor vehicle liability insurance that provides recovery in an amount that is less than the insured’s uninsured motorist coverage. Underinsurance coverage shall be equal to uninsured motorist coverage less the amount recovered from other motor vehicle liability insurance policies.
(b) If a named insured elects lower limits, the named insured shall sign a statement electing lower limits within 60 days of the time the named insured makes the election. The statement shall acknowledge that a named insured was offered uninsured motorist coverage with the limits equal to those for bodily injury liability. The statement shall contain a brief summary, which may not be construed as part of the insurance contract, of what uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages provide and shall state the price for coverage with limits equal to the named insured’s bodily injury liability limits and the price for coverage with the lower limits requested by the named insured. The statement shall remain in force until rescinded in writing by a named insured or until the motor vehicle bodily injury liability limits are changed. The form of statement used to comply with this paragraph shall be approved by the Department of Consumer and Business Services.
(c) A statement electing lower limits need not be signed when vehicles are either added to or subtracted from a policy or when the policy is amended, renewed, modified or replaced by the same company or group of companies under common ownership or control unless the liability limits of the policy are changed.
(3) The insurer issuing the policy may offer one or more options of uninsured motorist coverage larger than the amounts prescribed to meet the requirements of ORS 806.070 and in excess of the limits provided under the policy for motor vehicle bodily injury liability insurance. Offers of uninsured motorist coverage shall include underinsurance coverage for bodily injury or death caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle with motor vehicle liability insurance that provides recovery in an amount that is less than the insured’s uninsured motorist coverage. Underinsurance coverage shall be equal to uninsured motorist coverage less the amount recovered from other motor vehicle liability insurance policies.
(4) Underinsurance coverage is subject to ORS 742.504 and 742.542.
(5) Uninsured motorist coverage and underinsurance coverage shall provide coverage for bodily injury or death when:
(a) The limits for uninsured motorist coverage of the insured equal the limits of the liability policy of the person whose fault caused the bodily injury or death; and
(b) The amount of liability insurance recovered is less than the limits for uninsured motorist coverage of the insured.
(6) Uninsured motorist coverage and underinsurance coverage shall provide coverage for bodily injury or death if the amount recovered from a self-insurer is less than the limits for uninsured motorist coverage of the insured.
(7) As used in this section and except as otherwise provided in this subsection, “amount recovered from other motor vehicle liability insurance policies” means the proceeds of liability insurance or the proceeds received from a public body under ORS 30.270 recovered by or on behalf of the injured party. Proceeds recovered on behalf of the injured party include proceeds received by the injured party’s insurer as reimbursement for personal injury protection benefits provided to the injured person, proceeds received by the medical providers of the injured person and proceeds received as attorney fees on the claim of the injured person. Where applicable liability insurance policy limits are exhausted upon payment, settlement or judgment by division among two or more injured persons, “amount recovered from other motor vehicle liability insurance policies” means the proceeds that are recovered by or on behalf of the injured person but does not include any proceeds of that liability policy received by other injured persons. [Formerly 743.789; 1993 c.709 §11; 1997 c.808 §1; 2003 c.220 §1; 2005 c.235 §1; 2007 c.287 §2; 2007 c.782 §2]
Section: Previous 742.466 742.468 742.490 742.492 742.494 742.496 742.500 742.502 742.504 742.506 742.508 742.510 742.518 742.520 742.521 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008