Florida Car Insurance

Requirements for Florida Car Insurance

The minimum requirements for Florida car insurance are:

• Personal injury protection: Covers injuries to yourself or others who are in your vehicle at the time of an accident. The state requires coverage of at least $10,000.
• Property damage liability: Covers physical harm to the other party’s property, such as a vehicle or house that is damaged by your car. The minimum requirement is $10,000.
• Bodily injury liability: Covers injury or death to occupants of another vehicle if you cause an accident. It also pays for legal fees in your defense. The minimum requirement is $10,000.

Additionally, your policy must be issued by a car insurance company approved by the Florida Department of Insurance. There are many options available to drivers since several nationals companies, such as Geico, Nationwide, and State Farm, are approved carriers of Florida car insurance. In many cases, you can probably transfer your current insurance policy to Florida. Make sure you are comfortable with the conditions of the insurance plan, because it cannot be cancelled for two months unless you already have another policy in place. This prevents drivers from purchasing short-term insurance for a trip or other event when they want the extra protection.

Once you have proof of insurance, carry it in your vehicle at all times. In the event of a traffic stop, you must show the insurance card to the police officer, or you will receive a ticket for driving without proof of insurance.

Temporary Florida Residents

Florida is filled with many part-time residents who visit only during the winter months, but those residents still need proper insurance. If the vehicle you drive in Florida is registered in Florida, you need to have at least the minimum injury and damage liability insurance. If the car stays in Florida when you return north, you may be able to suspend your coverage rather than pay premiums for the entire year. But when you suspend your insurance, you need to turn in the registration to your vehicle and will have to register it again when you return. Make sure you talk to your car insurance company about the best way to suspend the policy.

If You Lose Your Florida Car Insurance

When your Florida car insurance policy is cancelled, whether it’s due to non-payment or if you don’t renew it, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is notified. Once this happens, the DMV will contact you to find out if you have a new policy.

If you are unable to provide proof of new insurance, the DMV can suspend your license and take away your car’s registration and license plate for three years. During the time that your license is suspended, you will be unable to drive for any reason; not even for employment.

Once you do obtain Florida car insurance and show proof to the DMV, you will need to pay a fee between $150 and $500 to have your license and registration reactivated.

Reducing Your Insurance Costs

In addition to standard discounts like insuring multiple vehicles on one policy and installing safety and anti-theft devices, drivers can reduce their Florida car insurance by attending a state-approved course that teaches drivers how to avoid a traffic collision. These classes can also reduce the number of points a driver may receive after certain traffic violations.

Traffic Collision Avoidance courses are offered throughout the state by companies such as USA Training Company, Florida Safety Council, and Driver Training Associates. Some courses can now be completed online in four hours, such as the one offered by idrivesafely.com.

Make sure the course you take is approved by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and check with your insurance company about discounts before you enroll in the class. Since not all insurance companies offer this discount, you could end up taking (and paying for) the class without seeing any discount.