Uninsured motorist coverage protects a policyholder who is in an auto accident with an at-fault driver who does not carry any liability insurance or not enough liability insurance to cover their medical costs.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance covers you for losses in the event that you are injured in a car accident and the other driver does not have insurance, or the other driver does not have an adequate amount of insurance to cover your damages.
Although you do not technically “need” uninsured motorist insurance in Florida to be in compliance with state law, there are some very good reasons why you should choose this coverage.
We are All at Risk for an Auto Accident
Statistically, the average individual can expect to be involved in three or four auto accidents during their lifetime. Florida is among the top 10 states in the nation for auto accidents. You may think it will never happen to you, and you may be the safest driver in the world. But you cannot control the actions of others, and you cannot control external factors. If you are ever involved in an accident, you want to know already that you have the proper level of insurance to cover both the injuries of others and yourself.
Florida has a lot of UN-insured Drivers
Although the law requires it, approximately one out of every four motorists in the Sunshine State is driving without insurance. This means that if you are in a car accident, there is a 25% chance that the other driver is not insured! If you are seriously injured in an accident with an uninsured driver and you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, it will be very difficult to recover compensation for your losses.
If a driver does not have insurance, chances are they do not have any assets to speak of either. You could sue them, but you will most likely never see any of the damages you are awarded.
Florida has a lot of UNDER-insured Drivers
A large percentage of motorists in the state are not adequately insured. For example, a motorist can drive legally in the state without having any bodily injury liability insurance at all. If you are severely injured by a motorist like that, for all practical purposes, your situation would be no better than if they were uninsured.
You may not be required to have uninsured motorist insurance in Florida. But with so many accidents in the state and so many uninsured and underinsured motorists on our roadways, it is strongly advisable to choose this coverage. Otherwise, you are exposing yourself to a high amount of risk every time you drive.
Ash Emrich 