In Florida, drivers are expected to have certain minimum insurance coverage in place. A driver who fails in this obligation can face serious consequences.
Understanding the required car insurance minimums is important for every motorist, not just to ensure they comply with the law, but also to prepare for and respond to a motor vehicle accident. If you or someone you love was involved in a crash, the minimum insurance coverage requirements can affect the amount of compensation you may be able to collect.
Diaco Law can help you understand Florida’s car insurance minimums and how they affect your accident claim.
Give us a call or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation with one of our car accident attorneys in Tampa to learn how we can help you. You can also read on to learn about minimum insurance coverage requirements and what different levels of coverage mean to you.
What are the Car Insurance Minimums in Florida?
The Florida Bar explains the minimum car insurance requirements in the state. Specifically, if you own a four-wheeled motor vehicle, you must have:
- A minimum of $10,000 in personal injury protection insurance (PIP) coverage. This pays for your own medical expenses up to allowable limits, as well as for partial lost wages, if you were in a crash. Your PIP coverage will pay for these costs no matter who was at fault for the accident.
- A minimum of $10,000 in property damage liability coverage. This pays for damage that you cause to another person’s property if you are at fault for an accident. This could include, for example, another driver’s vehicle or a fence that you crashed into.
You also have the option to purchase other kinds of coverage, including bodily injury liability insurance, which pays for injuries that you cause to others if the injuries meet the state’s definition of serious. Victims can take legal action against an at-fault driver to recover compensation for non-financial loss when the injuries are sufficiently severe, so this coverage pays for the defense costs and damages in these cases.
Collision and comprehensive coverages are both optional as well and pay for damage to your own vehicle if something happens to it in a crash or because something else goes wrong, like a tree falling on it.
Finally, you can purchase uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage to pay for your own injury-related losses caused by another driver if the losses go beyond your PIP coverage and if the other driver has insufficient insurance in place to pay for your damages.
How Do Car Insurance Minimums Affect Your Florida Accident Claim?
Car accident minimums affect your Florida auto accident claim because many people purchase only the minimum required coverage. If you suffer serious injuries or substantial property damage and the other driver doesn’t have enough liability coverage, you may have trouble collecting full compensation.
Insurers only pay up to policy limits, so if your losses exceed the other driver’s coverage, you may have to try to collect from them personally or turn to your own uninsured or underinsured coverage (if available) to recover as much of the uncompensated loss as possible.
Contact a Florida Car Accident Lawyer Today
Diaco Law will help you understand available insurance coverage that could pay for your damages and will work with you to identify all defendants who may be liable for covering your costs. Give us a call or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation and find out more about how we can help you.