ALBERTA'S SEF 44 – FAMILY PROTECTION ENDORSEMENT

Endorsements to the Standard Automobile Policy add extra coverage for certain things. Alberta’s Family Protection endorsement, commonly referred to as the SEF 44, is the most valuable and important one.

This common insurance policy endorsement is an optional but highly recommended endorsement to any motor vehicle accident policy.

The mandatory legislated insurance coverage required by law under the SPF 1 Alberta Standard Automobile Insurance is $200,000. In many cases, that amount may not be sufficient to cover all personal injury and property claims arising from a not at fault or partially at fault accident in which you or your family members may have been involved.

If you or a family living in the household is injured in a motor vehicle accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, or involved in a hit and run, you can then access your own SEF 44 endorsement to cover any shortfall for your claims.

Most if not all brokers add the SEF 44 endorsement up to $1,000,000, or the limits of your Section A liability coverage, to insurance policies.

There is a provincial entity called the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund (commonly called the Fund). This Fund covers injury claims only (not vehicle damage) the limit of coverage is $200,000. If you or a family member are involved in either a hit and run where the other driver is unidentified, or struck by a driver with only the statutory minimum $200,000 coverage, and the total injury claims exceed $200,000, then you can claim the shortfall from your SEF 44 Family Protection Endorsement.

However, consider a situation where an accident involves multiple serious injuries. It is important to note that if the at fault driver has $1,000,000 liability coverage, and you also have $1,000,000 coverage, then you cannot access your SEF 44. The policies don’t “stack”.

If an injured party does not have does not have their own insurance with an SEF endorsement, it is important to explore if there is SEF coverage from another source, including but not limited to the following:

• -  Spouse (including Common Law spouse);
• -  The injured party is under 18 and is living with and is financially dependent on a person holding
  an SEF or the spouse of that person; or
• -  The client was an occupant of a vehicle of a relative with insurance on a vehicle with an SEF 44
  endorsement.

There are other situations that may provide SEF 44 coverage so it is important to consult with a Personal Injury Lawyer at Braithwaite Boyle to explore other areas of recovery. 
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**Please note that this article is to only provide general information. It cannot be considered as legal advice. If you have any questions or concerns, or have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, please contact Braithwaite Boyle Injury Law at 780-451-9191 and one of our lawyers would be happy to assist you.