Florida Uninsured Motorist Laws

Uninsured Motorist Laws of Florida safeguards the interests of a driver when the opponent party is either not insured or underinsured. In Florida you get cover for personal injuries and suffering, doctor bills, lost wages etc even if the other driver has no insurance or is not adequately insured.

It is pertinent to note that in all other States, the laws are different for uninsured and underinsured drivers. But Florida is presumably the only State where there is no distinction between the two.

Florida Uninsured Motorist Laws - Insurance

Many lawyers opine it is advisable to have uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance if you are in Florida. Imagine you are seriously injured and it entails surgical treatment and the other person is without any body injury insurance and is also too poor, how to meet the medical expenses. The problem will get further aggravated if you also have no health insurance cover.

Though drivers in Florida are mandated to have insurance, most of them disregard the law and audaciously drive vehicles uninsured. Thus, insurance companies offer uninsured /underinsured motorist policy to cover physical injuries, wages loss, damage to property and the mental agony one undergoes in a vehicle accident involving an uninsured /underinsured motorist.

Understanding Legal Requirements

Admittedly, you will have to overcome some procedural delays if you are making a claim under the uninsured/ underinsured motorist law in Florida. If you are not familiar with the legalities, you may forfeit the right to making a claim under the uninsured motorist law of Florida. Therefore while making a claim under Florida’s Uninsured Motorist Law it is preferable to take the help of a professional accident claims lawyer.

The question is often asked why somebody should need uninsured motorist coverage if he/she already has no-fault insurance. The fact is the no-fault cover is more aimed at reducing the cost of auto insurance by not going to courts - as most insurance companies pay its policyholders the cost of minor injuries unmindful who caused the accident.

Moreover, in Florida, the no-fault policy benefit has an upper limit of $10,000. Hence, there may be occasions when the no-fault benefits may not fully cover the loss.

In Florida, uninsured motorist insurance covers bodily injuries to you and all other co-passengers when the other driver has no insurance or is underinsured in an accident for which you are not at fault. When looking into the large number of uninsured motorists in Florida as elsewhere, uninsured motorist coverage assumes a lot of significance.