Mark Roman | July 17, 2015 | Car Accidents
By: Morgan Gaynor
Florida is statistically a terrible place to be on the receiving end of a car accident. Florida is one of the few states which does not require drivers to protect others from their mistakes. While many states require drivers to carry minimum levels of liability coverage, Florida does not. There are some exceptions to this rule, but most drivers can have no liability insurance at all without breaking the law.
However, there is another even more important reason why Florida is a risky state for accidents. Even though Florida’s auto insurance laws are very lenient when compared to the rest of the country, there are many drivers who do not even have the minimum coverage our law requires. They simply drive without insurance and hope not to get caught.
This is not a new problem. During the great recession which began in 2008, we began to meet more people who were struck by uninsured drivers. We assumed hard economic times had caused more drivers to forego car insurance. By the same token, we hoped that there would be less uninsured drivers when the economy recovered.
Unfortunately, that has not occurred. In 2009, the number of uninsured drivers in Florida was generally estimated at 23-percent, or almost a quarter of drivers on the road. Today, that number is estimated to be 23.8-percent, which is even closer to one-quarter. Clearly, the economic recovery has not resulted in more people buying insurance for their cars and trucks.
This leads us to repeat the advice we routinely give our clients: protect yourself by getting uninsured motorist coverage. State law requires insurance companies who offer bodily injury liability coverage to also offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (“UM”). That coverage pays in the place of the at-fault driver when that driver has (1) no insurance of their own, or (2) inadequate insurance to cover the injured person’s damages.
Many people who don’t like what they already pay for car insurance might ask why they should have to pay to protect themselves from the negligence of others. They have a point. In an ideal world, everyone would be financially responsible, and this kind of coverage would not be necessary. But the same people probably would not hesitate to buy an alarm system for their house. While people would not break in and steal things in an ideal world, we all know it happens.
We’ve seen enough hard luck stories to know that the roads of Florida are not an ideal world. We again urge people to protect themselves with uninsured motorist coverage.
Contact the Clearwater Car Accident Law Firm of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact the legal team of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation with a car accident lawyer in Clearwater. We have five convenient locations in Florida: Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Tampa.
We serve throughout Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and its surrounding areas:
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442