DUIs Leave Floridians with Auto Insurance Hangovers

    RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, July 28, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Even with relatively low minimum-coverage levels, the Sunshine State's average expenditures for auto insurance are some of the highest in the nation, and they become much higher if a driver is found guilty of a DUI.

According to the latest figures, released in 2007 by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Floridians spent an average of $1,043 on coverage. That figure is 30 percent higher than the national average and makes Florida auto insurance the fifth most costly on average in the nation.

What's odd is that, despite having such high expenditures on premiums, the auto insurance levels required of Floridians are relatively low when compared with other states. As it is, the State of Florida requires only $10,000 coverage for Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 Property Damage Liability. In many cases, these levels may not be high enough to cover all of the expenses that arise out of a traffic accident, especially when a high-end car or serious injury is part of the equation.

Source: http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/frfaqgen.html

But drivers who have been convicted of driving drunk are understood to be a much higher risk to insurers as well as other drivers, and the state's insurance requirements reflect that fact. Drivers in Florida who plead no contest or are found guilty of a DUI must add on high levels of extra coverage in addition to the state-required minimum liability coverage. Such drivers will have to purchase an additional $440,000 in coverage for themselves before getting behind the wheel again -- $100,000 in coverage for one person injured or killed in one crash, $300,000 in coverage for two or more persons injured or killed in a crash and property damage liability to $40,000.

With such in an increase in minimum-coverage levels, drivers convicted of a DUI can surely expect to see a surge in rates. Floridians can visit http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/florida/ to get more information about the state's policies and to instantly generate a free quote comparison.

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