Florida Auto Insurance Coverage Options

Unfortunately, residents of the Sunshine State pay more for automobile coverage than the majority of the nation. On top of that fact, the minimum amount of protection required by law is among the lowest. It is understandable that these two facts will lead Floridians to choose the cheapest, which often means the least,auto insurance possible to help save money. Although choosing to this route may be a way to cut down on expenses, it could also lead to financial hardships and loss of assets. To avoid this from becoming the case, motorists may want to check and see if they could afford to get more adequately insured.

Currently, state law requires drivers to be covered by a policy consisting of $10,000 in personal injuryprotection (PIP) and $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL). The PIP portion of a policy is designed to pay for injuries caused to the driver and/or passengers regardless of who was at for the accident. Whether, a motorist would like to raise these limits is up to them since any expenses that go beyond this limit would either need to be paid by the insured or the at-fault party. But the law only allows policyholders to sue if the other party was liable and only for certain types of injuries. With that being said, residents may want to obtain Florida car insurance quotes based on higher limits in case they are not eligible to sue for damages.

Adding Protection to FL Car Insurance Policies

As mentioned, the state requires $10,000 in property damage liability, and although this may seem like a sufficient amount, in many cases it can be exceeded. Totaling another person’s automobile can easily lead to expenses that go above this dollar amount, and anything in excess of the $10,000 will likely be the responsibility of the policyholder. Therefore, if an insured were to total a vehicle worth $23,000, the remaining compensation of $13,000 due to the other party would need to be paid by the at-fault motorist. In addition to this, the driver may also need to pay the victim for the loss of use of the vehicle. By obtaining quotes for higher property damage liability limits, a consumer is likely to see that more protection costs only a little bit extra.

Although not required, it can be extremely beneficial to consider adding bodily injury liability (BDL) to policies. Even though the state requires motorists to carry $10,000 in PIP, there are circumstances when the injured party can sue the other driver for injuries that exceed this amount if the other driver is at fault. According to A Toolkit for Consumers provided by the state of Florida, motorists may sue if injuries caused in an auto accident result in significant and permanent loss of body function, permanent injury, scarring, disfigurement or death.