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Florida: Why/when/if to REJECT uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance?

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July 17, 2025, 03:08 PM
arfmel
Florida: Why/when/if to REJECT uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance?
^^^
And $2.00/day won’t even buy you a Coke at a hamburger joint.
July 17, 2025, 03:20 PM
HRK
Adding UM at just 25/50 unstacked adds $400 every 6 months to our premium, $800 a year a 23% increase, If I push it to the max of 100/300 on the policy it adds $909 every six months, $1818 a year, just for UM.

Stack it and it's a $3500 a year increase....
July 17, 2025, 03:30 PM
Mars_Attacks
Uninsured driving should be a no-plea felony.


____________________________

Eeewwww, don't touch it!
Here, poke at it with this stick.
July 17, 2025, 05:24 PM
CPTmorgan
HRK are you shopping around every year for FL Auto? All the Insurers use different algos. 13 years ago I had USAA auto and when I bought a house and moved both cars INTO a garage, they raised the rate because "the average claim for the new neighborhood is more expensive." Switched to esurance, which basically adjusts off credit score and rate dropped dramatically.

Our coverage is for a 2018 Outback & a 2019 Acadia owned since new and the rate remains under $190/mo combined. If you don't put a lot of miles on a vehicle, make sure to report actual mileage to Insurer once a year and they should adjust premium lower, at least esurance does.


Major, US Army Retired
July 17, 2025, 05:26 PM
nhtagmember
But isn’t this just a scam?

You are either insured or you’re not. If I recall the insurance is on a vehicle. The one for which you have a VIN on your certificate.

If I’m insured then why does it matter who hits me?
July 17, 2025, 09:29 PM
shovelhead
Well at least for us in Michigan:
What it covers:
UM coverage in Michigan typically covers bodily injury, including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, if you are injured by an uninsured driver. It also covers situations where you are injured in a hit-and-run accident where the at-fault driver is never identified.
How it works:
If you are in an accident with an uninsured driver, your UM coverage essentially "steps into the shoes" of the at-fault driver's insurance company. You would file a claim with your own insurance company, and they would handle the claim as if they were covering the uninsured driver's liability.
Why it's important:
Michigan has a high percentage of uninsured drivers, with estimates ranging from 20-25%. This means there's a significant risk of being involved in an accident with someone who has no insurance. UM coverage provides a safety net in these situations, ensuring you can still recover compensation for your injuries.
Not required, but recommended:
Michigan law does not require drivers to carry UM coverage, but it is highly recommended, especially due to the high number of uninsured drivers.
Underinsured Motorist Coverage:
UM is often paired with underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. UIM coverage is similar to UM, but it applies when the at-fault driver has insurance, but not enough to fully cover your damages


-------------------------------------——————
————————--Ignorance is a powerful tool if applied at the right time, even, usually, surpassing knowledge(E.J.Potter, A.K.A. The Michigan Madman)
July 17, 2025, 09:38 PM
egregore
quote:
But isn’t this just a scam?

You are either insured or you’re not. If I recall the insurance is on a vehicle. The one for which you have a VIN on your certificate.

If I’m insured then why does it matter who hits me?


July 17, 2025, 09:46 PM
StorminNormin
Texas here, but I have always kept full coverage insurance to include uninsured coverage on any vehicle I own as long as I own it.

The only two incidents I have had were first an uninsured person slam into the back of me at a stoplight at 40 MPH. Texas has a lot of uninsured motorists and I was covered.

The second incident was with my truck being about 18 years old and with a value of about $7,000. A deer tried to jump over my truck and caused $6,500 worth of damage. Since I had full coverage insurance it was covered.

I will keep my insurance that way.




NRA Benefactor Life Member
July 17, 2025, 10:31 PM
DaveL
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
But isn’t this just a scam?

You are either insured or you’re not. If I recall the insurance is on a vehicle. The one for which you have a VIN on your certificate.

If I’m insured then why does it matter who hits me?



If you have collision coverage it probably doesn’t. If you don’t have collision coverage you likely don’t have any coverage if someone else hits you without insurance and (in Florida) if they have the minimum insurance you only have $10,000 from their policy for property damage. Uninsured and minimally insured drivers make up about half the population here and the probability that a wreck will do more than $10,000 in damage is very high.

That’s why UM premiums are so high here - you’re buying insurance for everyone else and the carrier has no way to rate the risk.
July 18, 2025, 06:41 AM
shovelhead
And some more “Pure Michigan”

Overview

+5
In Michigan, motorcycles are excluded from the state's no-fault insurance law, meaning motorcyclists are not required to purchase no-fault insurance. However, they must carry liability coverage to protect against damages or injuries they cause to others. Motorcyclists can also opt to purchase optional medical benefits coverage, which provides some coverage for their own injuries in an accident.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
No-Fault Exclusion:
Motorcycles are not considered "motor vehicles" under Michigan's no-fault law, so motorcyclists don't have to purchase the standard no-fault insurance required for cars and trucks.
Liability Coverage:
Michigan law requires motorcyclists to carry liability coverage, which protects them from financial responsibility if they cause bodily injury, death, or property damage to others in an accident.
Optional Medical Benefits Coverage:
Insurers are required to offer motorcyclists the option to purchase medical benefits coverage, which can help cover their own medical expenses if they are injured in a motorcycle accident, particularly if they are injured in an accident that doesn't involve a car or truck.
"Involvement" with a Motor Vehicle:
If a motorcycle accident involves a motor vehicle, the motorcyclist may be eligible for no-fault benefits from the at-fault vehicle's insurer. This doesn't require physical contact, but the motor vehicle's operation must have been a significant factor in the accident.
Riding Without a Helmet:
If a motorcyclist chooses not to wear a helmet, they are required to carry at least $20,000 in medical benefits coverage, and if another rider is also not wearing a helmet, the motorcyclist must carry at least $20,000 in coverage for them as well, unless the rider has their own coverage


-------------------------------------——————
————————--Ignorance is a powerful tool if applied at the right time, even, usually, surpassing knowledge(E.J.Potter, A.K.A. The Michigan Madman)
July 18, 2025, 11:06 AM
gpbst3
My un/under insured policy in PA is $80 a year per vehicle.


July 18, 2025, 11:16 AM
JonDaddy82
Nothing in this world would get me to drive in Florida without UM coverage.


IDPA ESP SS
July 18, 2025, 11:28 AM
ElToro
Keep in mind The bare legal minimum for liability in the state of Florida requires is $10,000 liability and $10,000 personal injury. FL does not require bodily injury liability. $10k will be gone 2 seconds in any kind of accident. So why bother getting any

My 17 year old tells me when he turns 18 he’ll just get that min coverage. I said that fine but you will be sued for the difference if you are ever in an accident. And that judgement will haunt you for life.

So don’t be cheap. Just load up on your own insurance and assume everyone around you is not insured at all.
July 18, 2025, 11:41 AM
chellim1
^^^ Or drive like a maniac in a 20 year-old car and people will get out of your way! Big Grin



"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible."
-- Justice Janice Rogers Brown

"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth."
-rduckwor
July 18, 2025, 12:26 PM
Georgeair
Y'all got me curious; $286/year. Yay for MS, again.

Before I dropped this I'd make sure it didn't affect eligible coverage under any umbrella policy.



You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02

July 18, 2025, 03:46 PM
rscalzo
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
But isn’t this just a scam?

You are either insured or you’re not. If I recall the insurance is on a vehicle. The one for which you have a VIN on your certificate.

If I’m insured then why does it matter who hits me?


Sure, if you actually buy it. I had many cases back in NJ where the operator was uninsured...even though the state mandates it. Many would buy a binder for a few dollars, register the car and never pay the premiums. Insurance companies were quick to notify the NJ DMV when a policy was dropped. It the plates were not turned in, they would suspend the reg and dl.

Some states, like here in NH don't have mandatory MV uninsured / under insured motorist coverage here is $60.00 a year. Well worth it. urance unless the owner of the vehicle has some serious violations.


Richard Scalzo
Epping, NH

http://www.bigeastakitarescue.net
July 19, 2025, 01:42 PM
RB211
I always carry UM / UIM on my newer / valuable cars., especially after having my '24 Civic totaled by a UM earlier this year.