Summer is the heaviest driving season in South Florida. More cars on I-95. More tourists. More long drives with kids in the back. More late-night returns from the beach. And every holiday weekend, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, brings a wave of cases the following week.
The cases that hit my desk are almost always preventable. Not because the crashes themselves are preventable. Most of them aren't. But because the families involved did not know what their Florida auto policy actually covered until they needed it.
This post is the 15-minute audit I want every Florida family to do, before the next holiday weekend, the next road trip, or the next time someone borrows your car.
The patterns are consistent. Multi-car pileups on I-95 after holiday traffic clears. Single-vehicle rollovers from drivers who underestimated how tired they were on a long drive home. Out-of-state rental crashes where the driver assumed their Florida policy followed them. Uninsured-motorist hits where the other driver took off and the client did not know they had UM coverage.
Most of these cases are recoverable. But the gaps in coverage that come out during them are almost always gaps the family could have closed in 15 minutes.
Here's what I want every Florida family to look at.
1. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM).
In Florida, you can be hit by someone with no insurance, or with the state-minimum 10/20 liability policy, and your damages can easily run 10 or 20 times that. If you do not have UM coverage at limits that match your own bodily injury limits, you are exposed.
2. Personal injury protection (PIP) and medical payments (MedPay).
Florida PIP covers $10,000. That is not a lot of money when an ER visit, MRI, and follow-up orthopedic care can run $25,000 before you have done anything serious. MedPay can extend that. Most families do not know if they have it.
3. Stacked coverage.
If you have more than one vehicle on your policy, stacking your UM coverage multiplies what is available to you in a serious crash. Most agents do not bring this up. Most families do not know to ask.
4. Rental car and out-of-state coverage.
If you are renting a car or driving out of state, your Florida policy does not always follow you the way you think it does. The credit card rental insurance most people rely on is more limited than they assume.
5. Who's actually on your policy.
Teen drivers. Adult children home from college. Friends who borrow your car. Most policies treat these differently, and most families do not know which exclusions apply until after a crash.
I built the Auto Policy Review because I got tired of taking calls from families who could have closed these gaps for the cost of a few dollars a month, before they needed me.
The review is a full look at your declaration page. I read it the way I would read it if it were my own family's policy. I tell you where the gaps are, what they cost to close, and what is fine as-is. No pressure and no upsell on legal services. Just the audit.
If you want me to take a look at yours: https://www.klg-injury.com/auto-coverage-concierge
Stay safe out there,
Danielle
Most of the auto cases that hit my desk involve coverage gaps the family could have closed in 15 minutes. Here's the Florida auto insurance audit I want every family to do. The five things I look at first when I read a declaration page.
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Read MoreEvery case begins with a conversation. Tell Danielle what happened, and she'll give you honest answers about your situation and options.
Every case begins with a conversation. Tell us what happened, and we'll let you know how we can help. No pressure, no obligation—just honest answers about your situation.
