Full coverage automobile insurance is one of the most misunderstood policies in Florida. It’s a term used unofficially by many companies that, in reality, only serves two purposes. One, to envelop customers in a false security blanket and two, to meet the minimum insurance requirements under Florida law.

Too often clients come in assured they have “full coverage,” Denver car accident attorney Marco Bendinelli explains. Unfortunately, they often are shocked after we review their policies and find full coverage means something entirely different that the supposed self-explanatory full coverage.

Typically, Florida’s full coverage policies include the following:

Personal Injury Protection (PIP): PIP covers $10,000 of your medical bills and lost income caused by an auto accident. This coverage may include a deductible and can be used regardless of who was at fault.

Property Damage Liability: Florida requires drivers to carry at least $10,000 in Property Damage Liability, used to cover damage to another driver’s car if you are at fault for the accident.

 

It’s a surprisingly short list for the all encompassing term, “full”. What happens if medical bills exceed $10,000? Or if you injure someone else in an accident? What if the driver at fault has no car insurance? You won’t be covered; but, you will be left with a hefty load of out-of-pocket expenses.

The best way to ensure your family and car are fully protected is by reviewing your current insurance policy and meeting with your agent to go over additional coverage options. Lipcon lists the following as other important options:

Medical payments: More commonly called Med Pay, this covers the remaining portions of a driver’s medical bills not covered by their PIP.

Bodily Injury Liability (BI): BI covers injuries or death that the driver at fault caused to someone else.

Uninsured Motorist (UM): UM covers an injured driver’s medical expenses when involved in an auto accident with an at-fault driver who has inadequate or no insurance.

Collision: This insurance covers your vehicle’s damage from an accident, no matter who was at fault.

Comprehensive: This insurance covers any vehicle damage cause by a not-accident event.

 

While the standard full coverage package leaves out anything not required by law, responsible drivers should not overlook other plans. Lipcon recommends drivers review their policy plans – before needing to use it- by reviewing their declarations pages, speaking with an agent about other options, and adding the most coverage they can reasonable afford.