Protect Yourself Against Port Charlotte Uninsured Drivers
Corbin Sutter
Accident Lawyers
When you are hit by another driver, it is usually their insurance company that pays for all of the damages. However, this gets very complicated when the driver does not carry insurance. Oftentimes, this leads to lengthy settlements and court proceedings. In the worst-case scenario, you could end up having to pay for the accident yourself. This is a very important issue for Florida drivers. Florida has the highest number of uninsured drivers of any state. 26.7% of all the drivers on the road do not carry insurance. So what happens if you get into an accident with one of these uninsured drivers in Port Charlotte? How can you protect yourself and your financial future?
Review Your Insurance Policy
The best way to protect against Florida’s numerous uninsured drivers is to carry extra insurance yourself. Beyond a basic insurance policy, you will need to also make sure you have Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage. UM covers accidents where the other driver does not have insurance. Rather than pursuing the driver’s insurance to pay the damages, you will use your own as the other does not have insurance. UM is typically designed to pay for medical bills for you and your passengers. UM also covers hit and run accidents including pedestrian accidents. UM and your personal injury protection (PIP), a required insurance under Florida state law, will help you pay for the damages.
How Much UM Should I Carry?
Florida does not require drivers to carry UM. However, they do require all insurance companies to carry $10,000 in UM coverage per person and up to $20,000 per accident. You can also purchase a larger coverage amount. With such high risk on Florida roads, we recommend that you purchase at least $100,000 in coverage. This may sound like a lot but on average this coverage will only cost you between $86-$134 a year.
What About Property Damage?
When reviewing your insurance policy with your agent, make sure to also investigate if any property damage would be covered. The most common way to do this is to buy a policy that most people know as “full coverage.” Full coverage is the addition of comprehensive and collision (comp/coll) insurance. Collision will pay for property damage to your car regardless of fault or the insurance status of another driver. Full coverage insurance can be very expensive, so if it is outside of your budget, talk to your agent about increasing your UM coverage to ensure that it is enough to pay for both medical bills and property damage in the case of an accident.
Do I Have Any Other Options?
If you’ve been in an accident already and did not have UM or comp/coll, there are still some options to help you pay for the damages. The first is you can use your PIP to help pay for medical bills. In Florida, all drivers are required to carry a minimum of $10,000 in PIP. It is not ideal but you can also use your own health insurance to pay for the injuries. Finally, you can file a lawsuit against the other driver for the damages. Just keep in mind that typically if a driver is not carrying insurance, it is because they do not have the funds. So you aren’t likely to get a resolution. Each circumstance is different, you should consider speaking with an attorney.
Our experienced team at All Injuries Law Firm has seen so many incidents where uninsured drivers caused significant financial hardship for accident victims. Purchasing UM coverage can help protect against this risk. Unfortunately, Port Charlotte insurance companies don’t always want to compensate accident victims fairly no matter the circumstances of the accident. We’re here to help. Whether the other driver has insurance or not, we can fight to make sure your rights are protected and that you get the compensation you are owed under the law. Give us a call at 1-941-625-4878 to get started.