Information about Florida auto insurance laws you need to know

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The best way to get information about Florida auto insurance laws is to look them up on the internet. There are a number of web sites which can educate you about the deals you can get and also the laws in the state. When you want to look up laws of the state of Florida, it is best not to go by insurance company websites as they will tend to promote their own policies at the cost of you not conforming to the local laws of the state. 

There are certain basic liability limits that you need to conform to in the state of Florida. The minimum required for personal injury liability is $10000 per person per accident. And the total coverage required for all the injuries sustained in an accident is $20000 per accident. This will cover the medical expenses of all the people injured from the other party’s side in an accident. And the minimum coverage required for property damage accrued in an accident is again $10000 per accident. This will provide for all the damages that are sustained in an accident which will include damage to the vehicles, public property, private buildings or other road structures. 

In the state of Florida, a person is said to be driving under the influence, DUI if he or she has a BAC (breath alcohol content) of more than 0.08%. This is the basic DUI sentencing requirement. For any BAC reading of more than 0.15%, enhanced sentencing can and will be imposed. Also in cases where a person is convicted of a DUI offense, there will be a lot more repercussions. After the offense is committed, the person’s license can be revoked until he or she undergoes an alcohol rehabilitation program. And the insurance premium of the said individual will also go through the roof after such an offense. For a period of three years after the offense, the person has to get an SR-22 insurance policy which is a high risk driver’s insurance policy. It has to be realized that mere presence of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle is an offense in the state of Florida. 

There are also distracted driver laws in the state of Florida. A bill was recently passed in the senate called the senate bill 328 which prohibits the use of cell phone based communication while driving. Florida also has a graduated driver’s license system for teenage drivers. A teenage driver is defined as any driver who is between the age group of 16 to 24. Such a license was mandated with a view to reduce incidents where teen drivers meet with accidents and cannot be held liable due to their being less than the age of 18. 

Florida also happens to be one of those states where a lot of people like to travel through while figuring out their way in life. As cheesy as this may sound, it is true that a lot of college kids end up here after graduation trying to make up their mind as to what they must do. If you are staying here for a short period of time on out station plates, you need to conform to the local insurance requirements. But if your original states insurance limits are below the Floridian limits, you can have that as your coverage. But in case you are caught, you will have to prove that you still reside in the state that your car is registered in.