When you head out tomorrow morning, take note of the traffic around you. More than one out of every five drivers you see is driving without insurance.
According to the Insurance Research Council, the state of Florida has the fifth most uninsured drivers in the nation.
Florida had the fifth highest uninsured driver estimate, 23 percent, according to the study. The four states with higher estimates are New Mexico, 29 percent; Mississippi, 28 percent; Alabama, 26 percent; and Oklahoma, 24 percent.
With unemployment reaching higher and higher numbers (Florida had the second biggest number of job losses in 2008 behind California), these numbers are expected to increase across the board.
Good luck out there.
Clyde
1 year ago
Make sure you have uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage on your auto insurance. You must assume other drivers don’t give a damn about you. You must protect yourself.
Amy
1 year ago
I absolutely agree with Clyde. Make sure you have that underinsured motorist (UM) coverage. It covers you when you are hit by someone with no insurance or who has the bare minimum of insurance. It’s also good in case you are in a crash where you have massive hospital bills that exceed the other persons coverage, your own UM can help take care of those bills as well. I work with people involved in auto accidents, and it is shocking to most people to be in an accident, only to find out that the person that hit them had no coverage due to a lapsed policy or general stupidity. Unfortunately, many folks have also rejected their own UM coverage, leaving them with very little to take care of their own injuries. Believe me, this happens all the time. I cannot emphasize that enough.
Denis Baldwin
1 year ago
I agree with Clyde. Even though I just have basic/PLPD coverage on both of my cars, as they are pretty old and paid off, it’s still something I’m sure I have. If someone without insurance hits you and totals your car, they’ll get a slap on the wrist and you’ll be out as much money as it takes to fix your car or buy another car.
I remember a time when a girl I was dating was hit by a drunk driver, with no insurance. She had full coverage insurance (from Allstate) but because the other driver had no insurance and she didn’t have “uninsured driver coverage”, Allstate refused to pay for the damage. She ended up going to court and was able to get a partial settlement from her own insurance company, but it was a huge mess.
Debra Hanson
11 months ago
I was recently involved with an uninsured driver who ran a red light. He ended up with major medical expenses & I was uninjured. Quess who has to pay his expenses? You are right, my insurance company is offering a settlement. He can also take me to court & sue if he doesn’t accept my insurance company’s offer. Why is it that I am treated like the irresponsible one, that I should have more insurance when he had none! Does the uninsured motorist insurance help in a situation like this?