Personal Injury Protection ("PIP) coverage offers insurance coverage for medical bills, lost wages, and loss of household services.  It is a form of no-fault coverage through your automobile insurance policy which means that it covers you regardless of whether you were at fault. Under Maryland law, you automatically have PIP coverage on your vehicle unless you sign a waiver of the coverage.

If you did not waive the coverage, PIP limits are at least $2,500.00 and can be as much as $10,000.00. It covers medical bills and prescription expenses at 100%. It also covers lost wages at 85%. In addition to PIP coverage, some people carry Medical Payments coverage ("MedPay") which affords additional coverage for medical bills.

Many people unknowingly waive PIP coverage to save a few dollars on their premiums. This is often a mistake because PIP can provide prompt reimbursement of medical expenses and lost wages which many people need following a motor vehicle accident. If you see that your policy has "Limited PIP" or something similar, it probably means that you waived PIP coverage. A PIP waiver precludes from claiming PIP under your policy or anyone else's.

PIP cannot be waived for anyone under the age of 16. However, if an adult in the household waives PIP, it waives the coverage for all individuals in the household 16 years of age or older.

PIP in Maryland does not affect your ability to sue the other driver and you can still recover any medical bills and lost wages even if they were paid by PIP. This is called the "collateral source" rule.

You should review your insurance policy to make sure that you have not waived PIP on your policy. It is often not worth it to save a small amount of money on your insurance premium.