The state of Florida is a very particular state when it comes to insurance laws and regulations. When it comes to driving without insurance in the state of Florida the repercussions are very particular as well. We’ll preface this by stressing how important it is to be informed about all the different types of insurances required and available for purchase in the state of Florida. Even more important is knowing the details about all of the problems that can and likely will arise from driving without insurance in the state of Florida.
The penalties for getting caught driving without insurance range in severity and are typically on a case by case basis. Sometimes, if you get caught driving without insurance you can be given a warning. More often than not however you will be met with your license being suspended. Since driving without insurance in the state of Florida is illegal, choosing to drive without it is literally a violation of the law. In addition to your license being suspended, your registration and plates can also face a suspension. Your license, registration, and plates can remain suspended up to 3 years depending on the severity of the situation, and typically this decision is at the discretion of the law. The suspension can be made for 3 years or until the driver chooses to purchase a new insurance policy. Often whichever option happens first is the one that will come into play.
One of the worst things about getting your license, tag, and registration suspended is that during that time frame you will not be allowed to obtain a temporary license or a restricted one. They normally don’t even make exceptions to commute to work. Most of us depend on our jobs for our livelihood so making sure we keep our jobs tends to be a good rule of thumb. If nothing else feel free to reach out to one of our Trial Pro team members and we’ll be happy to help you with whatever questions you may have. Unfortunately, licenses, registrations, and plate suspensions are some of the least severe penalties for driving without insurance in Florida.
After a suspension of your license, registration, and tags, Florida has almost like tiers of consequences one can face for driving without insurance. If you get caught driving without insurance in Florida that remains on your driving record with the department of motor vehicles. A second offense of being caught driving without insurance in Florida can become even more complicated and extremely expensive. Driving reinstatement fees can range from $200-$500 and sometimes, even more, it’s typically on a case by case basis. Second offenses can cost roughly $250 dollars in reinstatement fees and if you get caught a third time within the first 3 years of the original offense you can face a reinstatement fee of up to $500 or more. Remember these are fees to simply reinstate your vehicle, without mentioning the cost of insurance in general.
Another consequence that drivers in Florida face for driving without insurance is the possibility of having to carry an SR22 certificate on your insurance. An SR22 certificate is a vehicle liability certificate that is filed with the department of motor vehicles which requires drivers to carry more coverage at higher limits than what is mandatory by law in the state of Florida. Often this occurs when drivers are involved in motor vehicle accidents that result in serious injury or death to others. Often times the SR22 will also require drivers to purchase bodily injury liability coverage, which in Florida is not even a mandatory coverage that is required for drivers to carry. Unfortunately, an SR22 certificate can turn out to be a costly thing to have on your insurance. Our recommendation is to shop around for those insurance rates and be proactive instead of reactive. We can almost guarantee the cost of the insurance will be far less than the cost of the repercussions of not carrying it.
As if getting your license, registration and plates suspended, running into crazy reinstatement fees and having to purchase extra insurance and carry an SR22 certificate are not enough often times driving without insurance will make it difficult to actually get insured. Sounds crazy right? Unfortunately, getting caught driving without insurance in Florida makes you an at-risk driver. Meaning that most insurance companies will likely provide you rates for quotes that are much much higher than the normal. The reason being pretty simple, you’re a risk to insure. Insurance companies want to ensure drivers that have good driving records and are not a liability. Understandably they don’t want to have to pay hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars due to the negligence of their insured. This can be a tricky task to overcome when searching for insurance. Our staff at Trial Pro recommends again that you be pro-active instead of reactive. If for no other reason think of the insane increase in insurance all because you didn’t want to spend too much in the first place.
Driving without insurance in the state of Florida may seemingly look like a good idea but we hope our Trial Pro team drew a clear path of what is to be expected if you chose to drive without insurance in Florida. If we had to summarize it, just don’t do it. You run a risk of fines, suspensions, and incredibly high insurance costs that are not worth the hassle. If you have any questions or require any assistance with insurance or coverage, we encourage you to reach out to our friendly and helpful staff. Our firm is fully equipped with professional and hardworking members that want to make sure you are informed and fully aware of the consequences of driving without insurance in the state of Florida. We more than anything aim to help you understand your options and requirements when it comes to purchasing insurance in the state of Florida. We hope we’ve helped sway you into doing your research on insurance and the repercussions that one can face if caught driving without and we’re certain you’ll make the right call when purchasing insurance in the future.
