Insurance industry studies have concluded that one out of four Florida drivers is uninsured. Based on my firm's decades of experience in representing people that are injured in auto accidents, I would say that even more people are uninsured in South Florida. Just as important, most drivers do not carry enough liability insurance to compensate a victim of a car accident that is seriously injured. In other words, most people are underinsured.
For that reason, in my opinion, everyone should protect themselves by adding "uninsured/underinsured motorist" coverage to their auto insurance policy. So if the at-fault party of an auto accident is not insured or does not have enough insurance, your coverage kicks in. This could make a huge difference to someone injured in a car accident.
The good news is that this coverage is relatively inexpensive and well-worth the added security. In my opinion, it is a bad bet for the insurance company. Knowing that so many people are uninsured in Florida, they rather not sell you this coverage. Time and time again clients tell me that they thought they had this coverage when in fact they did not.
Even the Florida legislature feels that uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is very important. Florida Statute §627.727 requires all auto insurance companies to offer it to its customers, and if the customer refuses to buy it, they must sign a document acknowledging that it was offered to them and they have rejected it. Should the insurance company fail to obtain your signature and you are injured in a car accident, your insurance company must provide you with this coverage even though you were not paying for it. An experienced personal injury attorney can and should look into this when representing someone making an injury claim.
Play it safe and protect you and your loved ones. Speak to your insurance company or agent about getting uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
If you have been injured in by an uninsured driver, call our Miami car accident lawyers today to learn how to recover compensation.