Is Auto Insurance Mandatory?
Every state has its own minimum car insurance requirements. In Florida, auto insurance is mandatory to a degree. However, the minimum requirement might not be the best option for you. If you’re involved in an accident, the minimum insurance won’t cover all of your expenses. Learn more about the mandatory insurance coverage and what it can mean for you.
The Minimum Level of Coverage
If you have a Florida license plate and registration, you need to have a certain degree of accident protection. Your policy must include $10,000 in personal injury protection and
$10,000 in property damage liability. Liability insurance is not necessary unless the driver has a DUI offense on their record.
Personal injury protection covers 80% of all medical bills and 60% of all missed wages. However, a $10,000 policy only covers expenses up to $10,000. Once you reach the limit, the insurance doesn’t help you. And in a serious accident, the medical bills are likely to cost more than $10,000. An emergency room visit could cost more than that, depending on the services provided.
With an average income of $49,449, the typical Winter Park resident can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars for medical care. An injury from a car accident could leave them in debt.
Do You Need More Coverage?
Because the minimum amount of coverage barely touches the cost of medical expenses, you might want better coverage. There are many other options available. For instance, you might consider adding the following coverage onto your policy:
Bodily Injury Liability Insurance
This coverage gives you more money for damages if you are the one responsible for the accident. Although you don’t need to have this type of coverage, it could save you from a financial disaster. If you don’t have it and cause an accident, the victim could come after your personal assets.
This is because the injured party can sue you for their accident-related expenses. Even if they are partially responsible for the accident, they can still take legal action against you. If you have bodily injury coverage, your insurance will pay some of the damages. They also will pay some of the cost of your legal defense.
Generally, the minimum bodily injury coverage is $10,000 per person. But you could opt for more coverage.
Uninsured Motorist Insurance
If you do choose to obtain bodily injury insurance, you can also get uninsured motorist coverage. With this type of insurance, you don’t need to worry about being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver. In Florida, this is a common problem.
If you don’t have protection against an uninsured motorist, you may be stuck with most of your medical and car repair bills. Once your personal injury protection is maxed out, you need to pay out-of-pocket for the remaining expenses. But uninsured motorist insurance is a safeguard. If the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, your insurance will pay for the expenses.
Making the Most of Your Coverage
It’s important to have the right type of insurance coverage. But not everyone has the coverage necessary to pay for all of the expenses that come with a car accident.
Fortunately, there are other options for getting compensation for your accident. If the other driver was negligent, you might be able to file a personal injury claim against them. This could recover the money you spent on medical bills and the money you lost from missing workdays. You can also receive compensation for your pain and suffering.
To learn more about how to handle the aftermath of an accident, contact a car accident lawyer in Winter Park. Abercrombie, P.A. can get you the answers you need.
