TRENTON, N.J., September 9 – At least 9 of every 10 motorists with car insurance in New Jersey have opted to hold down their insurance costs by not suing after a car accident unless the injuries are serious.

According to the latest statistics of the state Insurance Department, 4.7 million of the 5.1 million motorists carry the lawsuit limitation in exchange for cutting their yearly premiums by $250 a car. In the previous year, the breakdown was about the same.

This limitation, known as the lawsuit threshold, prevents lawsuits unless the accident is fatal or causes loss of a body part, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury where the body part or organ has not healed to function normally with further medical treatment.

The latest statistics as of June 2006 were compiled from the 60 companies writing insurance in the state.

The statistics also showed that 321,123 motorists had policies allowing them to sue for pain and suffering losses caused by a traffic accident injury, and those motorists pay higher premiums ranging from $130 to $800 more depending on the size of the vehicle and the coverages carried.

Other notable statistics about the coverages are:

42 percent, or 2.1 million motorists, carried liability coverage of $100,000/$300,000;

21,294 motorists carried liability coverage of $500,000/$1 million;

657,274 motorists carried liability coverage of $250,000/$500,000;

363,650 motorists carried liability coverage of the minimum $15,000/ $30,000;

97 percent, or 4.7 million motorists, carried full PIP coverage;

4.3 million motorists carried a $250 deductible for PIP coverage;

430,960 motorists had a $500 deductible on their PIP coverage;

260,500 carried a $2,500 deductible on their PIP coverage;

Only 432,700 of the 5.1 million motorists insured carried a PIP limit of $15,000 while 4.3 million had the $250,000 limit and 181,962 had limits over $250,000;

5.1 million motorists carried the standard policy of liability and PIP, and only 13,205 motorists had the basic policy that has only property damage liability coverage of $5,000 per accident.