In the Sunshine State. one must carry automobile policies with a minimum of $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 property damage liability (PDL). Vehicle owners must maintain this amount of coverage as long a vehicle has a valid registration tag. Personal injury protection will compensate insured for bodily injury that they sustain as a result of a traffic accident regardless of who is found to be at fault. The coverage will also apply to passengers. This will also cover the policyholder if they are injured by an automobile as a pedestrian or bicyclist; family members who reside in the same household will also be covered under the insured’s policy if they are not required to carry this type of car insurance. Property damage liability will pay to repair or replace another person’s property caused by the policyholder’s vehicle; the same applies to family members as PIP.

Although this may seem like adequate Florida auto insurance coverage, after all it does meet state laws, but the truth of the matter is that purchasing the minimum requirements can leave a policyholder in a bad position financially. As most are aware, the cost of medical care is quite high and a broken leg could probably exceed the minimum PIP limit of $10,000 and one can only imagine how much a hospital stay could cost; if a person does not have a health care plan it may be wise to raise the limit to avoid getting stuck with large medical bills. Additionally, the same applies to the property damage liability portion of a policy; if a motorist strikes and causes significant damage to luxury vehicle they can be held liable for paying any remaining amount which exceeds the $10,000; fortunately higher limits are attainable and may not be as unaffordable as a consumer may think.

Additional FL car insurance to Consider

One beneficial type of coverage which can be purchased in Florida is Bodily Injury Liability (BIL) which will pay for serious and permanent injury or death caused by the policyholder following a traffic accident. The insurer will compensate the other party up to the limits that the chose to purchase. The same benefits apply if the the insured causes the loss while they are driving someone else’s car or if another person is operating their automobile with permission. Another great benefit to this type of auto insurance coverage is that it will pay for legal defenses if the other party files a lawsuit which can be quite expensive to defend.

Comprehensive and collision is one type of coverage that many individuals must have; not by law, but because they are financing a vehicle. Financial institutions will often make it a part of the loan agreement to maintain protection for physical damage to the financed automobile until the auto is paid off. Although some individuals who own a vehicle free and clear may want to purchase this addition to a policy as well. A general rule of thumb is that if an auto is worth more than ten times what the premium may be it is beneficial to cover it in the event it is damaged; paying to repair or replace a vehicle can get quite expensive. Becoming properly insured comes down to evaluating a person’s situation and deciding what options will be best. A good resource to refer to help get a better understanding of policies is Florida’s automobile insurance consumer guide which is provided by Alex Sink, the state Chief Financial Officer.