How to read split liability limits like 100/300/100, with worked examples
What each number caps, how they work together and how to spot weak points
Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation built this guide from consumer guidance published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the California Department of Insurance and the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, along with Florida statutes and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data. Every source is listed at the end.
What the three numbers stand for
Liability coverage is the part of your auto policy that pays for injuries and damage you cause to other people [1]. Most policies describe it with three numbers separated by slashes [1]. Each number is a dollar cap, written in thousands. So 100/300/100 means $100,000, $300,000 and $100,000.
Here is what each slot means:
- First number: injuries per person. This is the most the policy pays for bodily injury to any one person in a crash [1]. “Bodily injury” means physical harm to a person, including death.
- Second number: injuries per accident. This is the most the policy pays for bodily injury to all people combined in one crash, however many are hurt [1].
- Third number: property damage per accident. This is the most the policy pays for all the property you damage in one crash [1]. That includes other cars and the things your car hits, such as fences, poles and buildings [1].
It helps to think of these as three buckets of money. The first two are nested. The per person bucket sits inside the per accident bucket. The third bucket stands alone. Money left in the property bucket cannot pay for injuries, and injury money cannot fix a car [1].
Some policies use one number instead, called a combined single limit, which covers injuries and property together. Florida law, for example, lets drivers meet its property damage rule with a $30,000 combined amount [6]. A companion article compares the two styles.
Why these numbers matter for safety and family protection
Serious collisions are common. In 2024, 39,254 people died in traffic crashes across the country [7]. NHTSA’s early estimate for 2025 is 36,640 deaths [7]. In 2019, crashes injured an estimated 4.5 million people and damaged 23 million vehicles [8]. That year, crashes cost the nation about $340 billion [8].
Your limits decide how much money is there to help the people you hurt get care. When the limits run out, an injured family may be left short. Your own household may also be at risk, because you may owe the rest [4].
Coverage is only the backup plan. The best protection is still driving sober, rested, focused and at a safe speed.
Where to find your limits and how they may look
Start with the declarations page. It is usually the first page of your policy. It sums up your insurer, your coverages and limits, your deductibles and your vehicles [5]. The NAIC, the national group of state insurance regulators, says it is the first thing to read when your policy arrives [1].
Insurers print limits in different ways. These all describe split limits, except the last one.
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Common ways limits appear on a policy
| What you might see | How to read it |
|---|---|
| 100/300/100 | $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for injuries; $100,000 for property |
| $100,000/$300,000/$100,000 | The same limits, in full dollars |
| Bodily injury: $100,000 each person, $300,000 each accident | The first two numbers, labeled |
| Property damage: $100,000 each accident | The third number, on its own line |
| $300,000 combined single limit | One shared cap, not a split limit |
You may also see a second set of slashed numbers for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. That coverage protects you and your passengers when an at fault driver has no insurance or too little [1]. In California, those limits can match your liability limits or be lower [5].
Worked example: the per person cap comes first
The examples below use a 100/300/100 policy and made up amounts, not typical claim values. “Damages” here means the amount agreed in a settlement or set by a court.
Say you cause an accident, and one person in the other car is badly hurt. That person’s damages come to $140,000. Here is how to work through it:
- Start with the per person cap. It is $100,000.
- Check the per accident cap. It is $300,000, and only one person was hurt, so it is not the limit here.
- The policy pays up to $100,000 for this person.
- The other $40,000 is not covered by this policy.
The $200,000 still “left” in the per accident cap does not help. Each person is held to the first number. Florida’s law shows this structure in plain text. Its amount for two or more people is subject to the one person amount [2]. You could owe that $40,000 yourself [4].
Now say three people are hurt in the same collision:
- Person A has $120,000 in damages. The cap holds the payment to $100,000, leaving $20,000 unpaid.
- Person B has $60,000 in damages. That is paid in full.
- Person C has $30,000 in damages. That is also paid in full.
The policy pays $190,000 in all, well under the $300,000 cap. Yet the most badly hurt person is still $20,000 short. The person with the worst injuries is the one most likely to hit the first number.
When the per accident cap runs out
Now take a worse collision on the same 100/300/100 policy. Four people are hurt, and each has $110,000 in damages.
Each person is first held to $100,000. That adds up to $400,000. But the per accident cap is $300,000. So the policy pays no more than $300,000 for everyone. At least $140,000 in damages goes unpaid.
California’s insurance department puts it simply. When two or more people are hurt, the coverage pays up to the per accident amount and no more, so everyone who was hurt has to split it [3]. How that shared amount gets divided is worked out in the claims process. If you are one of the injured people, ask the adjuster in writing how it will be handled.
Pay close attention to the gap between your first and second numbers. With 30/60/15, two people hurt badly enough to reach $30,000 each use up the whole injury limit. A crash with a car full of passengers, or one that hits people walking or biking, can involve many claims at once.
Reading the third number: property damage
The third number is one bucket for all property damage in one crash [1]. It pays for someone else’s car and for things like a fence, a sign or a building [1]. Every property owner in the crash draws from that same bucket.
Picture a wreck on an icy road. You slide into a newer SUV, and it is a total loss worth $42,000. You then hit a parked car, causing $14,000 in damage. Your car also knocks down a light pole that costs $9,000 to replace. The total is $65,000.
- With a $100,000 property limit, all $65,000 is covered.
- With a $15,000 property limit, $50,000 is left unpaid.
- With a $10,000 property limit, $55,000 is left unpaid.
Those last two are real state minimums. California requires $15,000 [5]. Washington and Florida each require $10,000 [9, 6]. When a property limit falls short, the other driver may have to turn to their own coverage. That can slow a safe repair and leave a family without a car. Our guide on what to do when the other driver’s property damage coverage falls short walks through that side of the claim.
One accident, four sets of limits
This table runs one made up crash through four sample sets of limits. You run a red light and hit another car. The other driver has $90,000 in injury damages. Her passenger has $40,000. Their car is a $30,000 total loss. The first row uses California’s minimum limits [5].
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
How four sets of limits handle the same collision
| Your limits | Policy pays | Left unpaid |
|---|---|---|
| 30/60/15 | $60,000 for injuries, $15,000 for the car | $85,000 |
| 50/100/50 | $90,000 for injuries, $30,000 for the car | $40,000 |
| 100/300/100 | $130,000 for injuries, $30,000 for the car | $0 |
| 250/500/100 | $130,000 for injuries, $30,000 for the car | $0, with room for a worse crash |
At 30/60/15, the driver is held to $30,000 and so is her passenger. That fills the $60,000 per accident cap. At 50/100/50, the driver is held to $50,000, but her passenger is paid in full. At the higher levels, everything is paid.
No single set of numbers is right for everyone. But the same collision can end very differently, so run your own numbers through it.
How state minimums use the same format
As of October 2026, most states require you to buy at least a minimum amount of liability coverage, and the minimums differ from state to state [1]. Here are verified examples:
- California: $30,000 for one person, $60,000 for more than one person in a crash, and $15,000 for property, or 30/60/15 [5].
- Washington: $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for all injured people, and $10,000 for property, or 25/50/10 [9].
- Florida: Owners and drivers of vehicles that must be registered in Florida need $10,000 of property damage liability per accident [6]. The state’s law defines proof of financial responsibility as 10/20/10 [2]. Drivers found guilty of, or who plead guilty or no contest to, driving under the influence after October 1, 2007, must carry 100/300/50 [10]. They must keep those higher limits for at least three years [10].
Florida also shows that a state can require higher split limits after a serious violation.
A state minimum is a legal floor. It is not a measure of what a serious crash costs. The NAIC suggests buying more than the law requires and as much as you can reasonably afford [1]. Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation gives drivers the same advice. California’s regulators note that the more you own, the more you could lose in a lawsuit [5].
What split limits do not cover
Liability coverage protects other people from harm you cause. It does not pay for your own injuries or your own car [1]. Other parts of a policy do that work:
- Your own medical bills: medical payments coverage or personal injury protection, depending on your state and policy [1].
- Your own car: collision coverage [1].
- When the other driver is at fault and has too little insurance: your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage [1].
Legal defense works differently from the three numbers. Your insurer has a duty to provide a lawyer if you are sued over a crash, and the FAQ below explains how that cost is handled [4].
Spotting weak points before a crash
A coverage review works best on a calm day, not after an accident. Here is a routine to follow:
- Gather the current declarations page for every vehicle in your home, including a teen’s car or a car on a separate policy.
- Write each set of liability numbers in a row: per person, per accident, property.
- Run the worked examples above through each row and note any gaps.
- Compare your first and second numbers. If the second is only double the first, two badly hurt people can use it up.
- Look at your uninsured and underinsured motorist lines. Note whether they are lower than your liability limits [5].
- List what your household could lose in a lawsuit, such as savings and home equity. The more you own, the more is at stake [5].
- Ask for prices at two or three higher limit levels before your next renewal.
Keep the answers with your declarations page. Check again at each renewal and whenever a new driver joins your home.
Frequently asked questions
Are the numbers in 100/300/100 in thousands of dollars?
Yes. Each number stands for thousands of dollars. The NAIC uses the same reading for its own example limits, where the first number means $25,000 per person [1]. So 100/300/100 means $100,000 for injuries to one person, $300,000 for injuries to everyone in one crash, and $100,000 for property damage in that crash.
If one person’s damages pass the per person limit, can the leftover per accident money cover them?
No. Each injured person is held to the first number, even when the per accident cap has room left [1]. Florida’s law spells out this nesting by making the many person amount subject to the one person amount [2]. In a crash with one badly hurt person, the second number may never come into play. That is why the first number deserves close attention.
What happens if the damages are bigger than my limits?
Your insurer pays up to your limits. If a settlement or court judgment is larger, you may have to pay the difference [4, 5]. That can put your savings and property at risk [5]. If you are facing a claim that may go past your limits, tell your insurer right away and talk with a licensed attorney in your state about your own situation.
Do lawyer fees come out of my liability limits?
According to the NAIC, your insurer must provide a lawyer if you are sued over your driving, and your limits do not cap what it spends on that lawyer [4]. Under that general rule, defense costs do not shrink the money available to injured people. Read your own policy and ask your agent to confirm how your coverage handles defense costs.
Why should I care about the other driver’s split limits?
If someone else causes a crash that injures you, their limits cap what their policy will pay you. A low per person limit can leave your family short on care and costs. Your own underinsured motorist coverage may fill some of that gap [1]. Our guide on when the other driver’s insurance is too low walks through those next steps.
The bottom line
Recommendation from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation encourages every household to read its split limits now and fix any weak spots before they are needed. Split limits look like a code, but they follow a simple pattern. The first number caps what one injured person can receive. The second caps what everyone injured in the crash can receive together. The third caps all property damage. Money does not move between the injury and property buckets.
Take ten minutes to pull your declarations page and run the examples above. If a gap worries you, talk with your agent before your next renewal. The goal is a plan that protects the people you might hurt and the family you are trying to keep safe.
Related articles
Sources and further reading
- 1National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). A Shopping Tool for Auto Insurance. Published 2023. content.naic.org/…/consumer-auto-shopping-tool.pdf
- 2Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes, Section 324.021: Definitions; minimum insurance required. 2025 Florida Statutes. flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/324.021
- 3California Department of Insurance. Auto Insurance (one-page consumer guide). Updated February 2025. insurance.ca.gov/…/Auto-Insurance-Updated-020525.pdf
- 4National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Consumer Auto (auto insurance consumer information). Accessed October 2026. content.naic.org/consumer/auto-insurance.htm
- 5California Department of Insurance. Automobile Insurance Guide (Form 901). Updated February 2025. insurance.ca.gov/…/IG-Auto-Insurance-Updated-020525.pdf
- 6Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes, Section 324.022: Financial responsibility for property damage. 2025 Florida Statutes. flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/324.022
- 7National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Trump’s Transportation Department Announces Record-Low Traffic Deaths & Fatality Rates in 2025. Published April 1, 2026. Data year: 2024 (final), 2025 (early estimate). nhtsa.gov/…/traffic-deaths-2025-early-estimates-20…
- 8National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA: Traffic Crashes Cost America $340 Billion in 2019. Published January 10, 2023. Data year: 2019. nhtsa.gov/…/traffic-crashes-cost-america-billions-…
- 9Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Washington state’s mandatory auto/motorcycle insurance law. Accessed October 2026. insurance.wa.gov/…/washington-states-mandatory-automotorc…
- 10Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes, Section 324.023: Financial responsibility for bodily injury or death. 2025 Florida Statutes. flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/324.023
This article reflects the safety priorities of auto insurance consumer protection and financial security for drivers and the people they could hurt. It is general education, not legal, insurance or financial advice, and it does not describe any specific policy. Policies and state laws differ and change, so verify the rules with official sources. For your own situation, contact your insurance agent or company, your state insurance department, or a licensed attorney in your state. Reviewed October 2026.
Cite this article: Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation. “How to read split liability limits like 100/300/100, with worked examples.” drivewithcare.org, https://drivewithcare.org/how-to-read-split-liability-limits/. Reviewed October 2026.
Special thanks to our contributors
We appreciate the professionals, experts, and community members who share their knowledge and perspectives to help make this resource better. Your insights are always welcome and appreciated.
Have professional expertise, firsthand experience, or a perspective that could make this resource better?
We welcome your input. Your knowledge and experience can help us make this resource more useful, accurate, and meaningful to the people who rely on it.
Thank you. Your contribution is on its way.
We’re grateful you took the time to share your knowledge with us. Our team reviews every contribution with care. If it helps improve this resource, we’ll update the page and recognize you the way you chose.
Keep learning
Safe Driving Resource Center
Guides, self-checks and articles for drivers, parents of new drivers, and families recovering after a crash.
