Full Coverage Florida Car Insurance
Understanding what you need to obtain and keep full coverage Florida car insurance can be a bit confusing. Car insurance is such an important protection to have in place, but understanding your options and need for full coverage auto insurance in FL isn’t always clear. Here are some guidelines to making sure that you and your family have both full coverage and the most appropriate Florida car insurance policy to meet your needs.
Minimum Requirements If One Does Not
Have Full Coverage Florida Car Insurance
If you finance a car in Florida, you are required to have full coverage Florida car insurance. Once you register you vehicle in the state of Florida you are required at the very least to carry a minimum of $10,000 liability insurance. No way around it.
Bodily injury liability is for the party that is injured or dies at the fault of the insured or household members driving the insured car or someone else’s car. Legal counsel is also provided in the event the injured party sues.
What Is Included In A Full Coverage
Florida Auto Insurance Policy
In a Full Coverage Florida Auto Insurance policy the policy holder has liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage to include the state required personal injury protection.
Liability – damage to another’s car, medical expenses for injuries and death benefit
in case of death.
Collision – protects the vehicle in the event of an accident with another vehicle or
object.
Comprehensive– insures the vehicle in case of theft, vandalism, whether damage, etc
A full coverage Florida car insurance policy can also carry extra coverage in terms of dollars and services. It would be a wise idea to carry additional coverage if you have an expensive and/or luxury vehicle. It would also be a good idea to see if your policy has:
- Roadside assistance
- Rental Car reimbursement
- 24 hr. Claims
- Online policy management
- Payment Location options
- Live contact by phone
Most major companies have live chat or customer service online.
Full Coverage Florida Car
Insurance For Taxis
Taxis have to carry full coverage in FL, and pay enormous rates. The no-fault law does not apply to taxis in Florida; therefore, if they are in an accident and a passenger is injured, they can sue.
Florida taxi drivers can pay as much as $125,000 to $250,000. They have to carry $50,000 for property damage, and $500,000 for all claims per incident.
The “No Fault” Law And My Full
Coverage Florida Auto Insurance
Florida is also a no-fault state where, regardless of who’s at fault, the insurance company pays out up to the limits of the policy. This law prohibits either party from filing lawsuits for damages.
Proponents of this law believe that it allows the injured to receive medical attention without waiting to determine who was at fault. Opponents believe that this law hurts an injured party by preventing them from suing a reckless or negligent driver.
There are certain add-on coverage options you can purchase that buy you the right to sue and open you up to law suits at the same time.
PIP (Personal Injury Protection) Law
And Full Coverage Florida Car Insurance
Personal Injury Protection was something that was a thing of the past until October 2007.
Florida reinstated the personal injury protection law effective January 1, 2008 which carries $10,000 for the insured in the event of an accident.
This law works hand in hand with the no-fault law. Since no one is at fault each insurance company pays out up to $10,000 in medical expenses for the insured.
Scams And Full Coverage
Florida Car Insurance
Buyer beware. The opposite of the great information websites offer is that the unscrupulous scam artists of the world have a new venue for their illegal activities. So deal only with well established companies.
Even offline, there are tactics and scams you should be aware of. As a no-fault state, Florida is one of a few states like New York, Massachusetts, and California where the residents carry a heavy financial burden for the actions of some.
This is actually insurance fraud which can carry felony charges. Most of these scams are well thought out and implemented by groups of people and even medical professionals. Some of the scams include:
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Two vehicles stage an accident that usually causes a rear end collision by cutting and unsuspecting driver off and suddenly stopping.
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Graciously allowing the right-of-way to the intended victim and then speeding out to cause a collision.
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Over exaggerating the cost of body work by the body shop for the benefit of more of a larger check from the insurance company.
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Medical professionals over exaggerating costs of medical treatment and performing unnecessary tests.
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People setting their cars on fire and claiming it to be an accident.
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Simply lying and fabricating the facts to an accident
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Insurance companies who except premiums then trump up reasons not to payout.
Full Coverage Florida Car
Insurance And Moving
Most states require you to register your car in that particular state usually within 30 days. So if you leave the state of Florida you would have to modify your insurance to reflect the minimum requirements of that state.
If it’s a major insurance company the change should be simple. If your insurance company is not licensed to do business in that state, you may have to change insurance companies.
Transferring Out-Of-State Coverage
To Full Coverage Florida Car Insurance
The opposite is the case if you move to Florida from out-of-state. You must register your car in Florida and determine if your current carrier is licensed to insure vehicles in Florida. If you have a carrier like Nationwide you may want to do some more investigation on their current ability to do business in Florida. Then there are online companies as well as other major companies who do not insure drivers in Florida.
Going Without Full Coverage
Florida Auto Insurance
All drivers in Florida are required to carry insurance in Florida. Florida, however, does not require uninsured motorist fees. This is what will protect you if your vehicle is damaged or you are hurt by an uninsured driver.
If you decide not to carry insurance the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are authorized to suspend your license. Your license to drive in the state of Florida could be suspended up to three years, or until proof of insurance is provided.
To cover yourself in a state where over a quarter of a million accidents happen in an average year, and 700 per day, click on the quote tool at the top of the page to research your options for Full Coverage Florida Car Insurance.
Compare Full Coverage
Florida Car Insurance Quotes!
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Save yourself some of the hassle of shopping around for car insurance and do your research online.
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