Auto Insurance & Car Accidents
in the Tampa, Florida Area: Do You Have Enough Liability
Insurance?
A common question for drivers in the
Tampa, Florida area is whether or not they have “enough”
liability car insurance. This question has more than one
answer because a driver can have enough liability car
insurance to meet the requirements of Florida law, yet
still fall short of having enough insurance to pay for
damages in a major car accident.
A Tampa car accident
lawyer will have to deal with these types of problems
when assessing your case in order to make proper recommendations
to you regarding your medical treatment if the accident
resulted in injuries to you. While many drivers on Tampa
Bay roads have enough liability insurance to be compliant
with Florida law, the majority of drivers do not carry
enough liability insurance to cover the property damage
and personal injuries they cause to others.
First, let's review what liability car
insurance is. In simple terms, liability insurance covers
the damage you are responsible for in a car accident.
“Bodily injury liability” (BIL) car insurance would pay
for bodily injury, permanent injury, and wrongful deaths
you might negligently cause to others in a car accident.
Likewise, "property damage liability" (PDL) car insurance
pays for damage you might cause to other people's vehicles
and/or property in a car accident.
When it comes to liability insurance,
Florida law requires that you carry $10,000 property damage
liability (PDL) insurance. You are not required by Florida
law to carry bodily injury liability (BIL) coverage unless
you have been involved in a past accident that caused
bodily injury to others, or you have been convicted of
certain serious driving offenses like DUI (driving under
the influence of alcohol or drugs). If you have been in
a former accident causing personal injury to others, Florida
law may require you to carry bodily injury liability coverage
of $10,000 per person/$20,000 per accident.
But you should remember that if you
don't carry at least $10,000 in bodily injury insurance
and you injure someone who then gets a judgment against
you, you may lose your license for up to 20 years or until
that judgment is paid. So even if Florida law doesn't
require you to carry any bodily injury insurance, you
may want to give serious consideration to carrying at
least the minimum 10K amount in order to protect your
ability to drive in the state of Florida.
Now comes the question of how much is
enough liability coverage. Not only do you want to purchase
enough car insurance to comply with Florida law, but you
may also want to consider whether or not minimal insurance
coverage is enough to pay for your potential liability
for injuries and/or property damage in a car accident.
These days, damage to a new car can
cost much more than the $10,000 of property liability
coverage required by Florida law. Furthermore, even in
a minor accident, you could easily be responsible for
thousands of dollars in medical bills for those injured
in the accident. If you don't have enough liability car
insurance to cover an accident that is your fault, you
could be sued for the difference. This places your assets
such as your savings accounts, retirement funds, property,
and other valuables at risk.
Take a look at your insurance coverage
and speak to your insurance representative about whether
or not you have enough to pay for your potential liability
in a car accident. It's better to review your coverage
now, rather than wish you had after an accident happens.
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