Florida’s Uninsured Motorists

By: Heath C. Murphy + – Personal Injury

Florida has the lowest required automobile insurance of any state in the country. In fact, Florida does not even require that its drivers, save those with a DUI conviction or a violation of the Financial Responsibility Law, to maintain bodily injury coverage. This means that many drivers in Florida are legally driving cars while carrying no insurance coverage bodily injuries which occur due to their negligence.[1] If you are injured by one of these drivers, you will likely be unable to recover for the injuries which you suffer in that car accident unless you have purchased uninsured motorist coverage.

1 in 4 Floridians are Uninsured

23.8% of Floridians carry no insurance, whatsoever.[2] An additional 10% have policies with no bodily injury coverage.[3] This means that your odds of being involved in a car accident with a person without the car insurance that will cover the bodily injuries you sustain in that car accident are better than 1 in 3. Only Oklahoma has a greater percentage of uninsured drivers on the road.

Florida Has Among the Highest Insurance Rates

Florida is in the top 10 highest states in which to purchase auto insurance. There are several factors which contribute to the high insurance rates. High unemployment rates, traffic density, urban population and tourism all contribute to the high auto insurance rates to which Floridians are subjected. Insurance companies in Florida are permitted to use a driver’s credit score as a factor in determining that driver’s insurance premium and credit scores in Florida are among the lowest in the nation.

Another huge factor in the high cost of car insurance in Florida is the prevalence of hit and run accidents. There are about 70,000 hit and run accidents in Florida every year. That is almost 200 hit and run accidents per day in Florida. The Tampa Bay area (Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties) average about 22 hit and run accidents per day. The police tend to focus their resources on the cases which involve serious injury or death, so many hit and run accidents go unsolved.

Always Carry Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage

I have written other articles about the benefits of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on automobile insurance policies.[4] UM coverage is designed to protect you, your family and passengers, in the event you are involved in a car accident with a driver who is either uninsured or underinsured. By underinsured, I mean the at fault driver is not carrying enough auto insurance to cover the bodily injuries caused by the car accident. Remember, no matter how severe your injuries may be, an insurance company will only pay up to the policy limits contained in the policy. For this reason, it is critical that UM coverage always be maintained on all car insurance policies. Think of it this way, you buy a basic car insurance policy to protect others against the damage you may cause. You purchase UM coverage to protect yourself and your loved ones against the damage that others may cause. Uninsured motorist coverage will typically add roughly 10% to your insurance payment, but it will cover in the event that you are injured by a hit and run driver, an uninsured driver or a driver with inadequate insurance.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer at Jones Law Group

Have you or a loved one been involved in a car accident? Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury law firm today. When you contact our office we will immediately set an appointment where you will meet your attorney and be provided with his/her personal contact information. If you do not have transportation or you cannot drive, your attorney will travel to meet you and discuss your case with you.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident, you should immediately call an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg at Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Pete, FL 33707

References:

[1] http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/frfaqgen.html

[2] http://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/uninsured-motorists

[3] http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/04/05/287256.htm

[4] https://www.jlgtampabay.com/uninsured-motorist-coverage-why-you-should-have-uninsured-motorist-coverage/?preview=true&preview_id=888&preview_nonce=821e971538</a