The laws in Florida are unique when they’re compared to the majority of other states. In the majority of states, the laws when it comes to motorcycle insurance are comparable to the other types of laws for motor vehicles. But in Florida this isn’t the case. In Florida, if your vehicle has at least four wheels you have to carry PIP because it’s under the blanket of no fault insurance.
This is going to guarantee that medical bills as much as $2,500 are paid if you file your claim in 14 days. If the bills are because of an emergency, and it’s been medical professional certified, the complete $10,000 threshold is paid by the PIP. The PIP isn’t available to motorcycle owners even if they have PIP for one of their other vehicles. Because injuries from a crash on a motorcycle are much more severe, a motorcycle rider are going to have a bigger chance of having financial disaster after a very serious crash.
The insurance requirements of a motorcycle in Florida are based on the owner’s financial responsibility against liability. It’s not required that the owner carries insurance when they register their motorcycle. But the driver is going to be held responsible if they’re charged in a crash. There are three options from which to choose.
- Buy liability insurance from a licensed insurance carrier in Florida. This is the way that’s most common.
- Secure a certificate of financial responsibility – This will the owner to post a surety bond and then depositing securities or cash with the DHSMV. The surety bond is posted with a company licensed by the state.
- Go to the Bureau of Financial Responsibility and get your Self-Insurance Certificate after you give evidence of capital that’s net encumbered.
When are you required to have insurance for bodily liability in Florida?
In Florida, the coverage requirements for minimum liability for other pa types of passenger vehicles will serve as guidelines for determining coverage amount that’s needed.
- $10,000 – Bodily injury for one person
- $20,000 – Bodily injury for two and more people
- $10,000 – For each crash in liability for property damage
What’s No-Fault Coverage?
Since Florida’s a no-fault state, it means that PIP coverage is required when you have a vehicle with at least four wheels. This ensures that all of the medical bills get paid no matter whose fault the accident is. But this doesn’t apply when it comes to motorcycles. Because of this, motorcyclists have to pursue compensation when they are in an accident from the insurance of the other driver for lost income, pain, suffering, motorcycle damage and medical bills. They don’t have to meet any threshold or prove how severe their injuries are. It’s potentially beneficial that a motorcyclist has UMC in case they are in an accident with someone who doesn’t have liability coverage. Nearly 25% of the drivers in Florida don’t carry liability, so there’s a good chance that there will be a collision with someone who doesn’t have it.
What Penalties are there in Florida if You Don’t Have Motorcycle Insurance?
Even though it’s not required that you have insurance when you’re registering a bike, there are some penalties if you’re in a crash and don’t have any insurance. If you get charged with the accident, you’re financially responsible when it comes to the property damage and bodily injury. If you didn’t have liability coverage when you had the accident, some of the things you could face are the following:
- Suspension of driving privileges
- Suspension of tag and registration
- Required to buy liability coverage for property damage and bodily injury for 36 months
- Civil judgements may be brought against you
The truth is that it’s not mandatory to have coverage on your motorcycle until you’ve caused a collision.
FREE INSURANCE REVIEW
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