I can not tell you how many times I do an investigation into the coverage of an at-fault driver only to find out that they have no bodily injury coverage nor any attachable assets worth pursuing. Then comes the unfortunately discussion with my client that there is nothing I can do. UNLESS they have purchased uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

There are entirely too many drivers in Florida either driving around without bodily injury coverage or driving around uninsured altogether to not purchase UM. I strongly urge everyone to call their insurance companies immediately and request a copy of their policy and make sure that you have UM coverage on your auto insurance policy. Purchase as much as you think is necessary and you can afford. Luckily, UM coverage is not that expensive to add to your existing policy.

As a bonus, if you own more than one vehicle, you can elect for “stacking” UM coverage. That means that if you are in an accident and previously purchased a 10k UM policy per person, and you own two vehicles, you are now entitled to pursue 20k of your own UM.

The Florida Legislature has been discussing changing the law to require all drivers in Florida to have bodily injury coverage. Whether you agree with this or not, for the time being you need to have UM coverage. Even if the bill to require everyone to purchase bodily injury coverage passes, I still urge you to have UM on your policy.

Imagine getting into an accident and you suffer life changing injuries. If the at-fault driver has no bodily injury coverage and you either have no UM coverage or a 10k UM policy, is that going to be enough to cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering etc.? Think about the “what if” before making a decision on what amount of UM coverage to add to your auto policy.

Give me a call if you have any other questions regarding UM coverage.