Florida’s drivers may soon be required to have a mandatory $25,000 in BI (bodily injury) car insurance, in case they hurt anther driver. The Florida House Committee just passed the Auto Insurance Reform Legislation, mandating a minimum BI limit for all Florida drivers.
Current Status of Mandatory BI in Florida and PIP Requirements
Current Florida law requires car owners only to carry $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage and $10,000 in property damage liability. The PIP coverage pays for 80% of your medical bills and the property damage only covers damage to property (not bodily injury). Glaringly, under the current state of the law, Florida drivers are not required to have bodily injury coverage.
This may change under the proposed legislation moving quickly through Tallahassee.
Mandatory BI Coverage in Florida – A Step in the Right Direction
The Responsible Roadways Act (HB 19), sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, would repeal the state’s bare-bones PIP system and replace it with a requirement that drivers carry $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person and $50,000 per incident.
Making this change would benefit Floridians because the number of responsibly covered drivers on the road will increase, and drivers will save money on their liability insurance. The House staff conducted an analysis of the legislation and found that the repeal of no-fault insurance in Florida will result in an estimated overall reduction in premiums of 9.6 percent on the liability coverage package or $81 annually per car for the average driver.
How Much Longer Until Mandatory $25,000 Bodily Injury Insurance Coverage in Florida?
HB 19 now goes to the House floor for consideration. The Senate companion bill (SB 150) by Sen. Tom Lee, hasn’t been scheduled yet for a hearing. If you feel like insured drivers and lower premiums are a benefit to our state, contact your local Florida lawmakers and ensure they vote yes on mandatory BI coverage for all Florida drivers.
If you have questions on an auto accident, contact our Boynton Beach personal injury law firm today for a free consultation.
