Posted by Editor | Posted in Personal Injury News
After much debate and its sunset on October 1st, Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) law requiring all drivers to have PIP coverage on their car insurance was brought back to life yesterday. Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed the PIP legislation on Thursday morning and finally resolved, at least for the moment, what had been one of the most pressing personal injury issues in the state this year.
Under its old law, Florida required drivers to carry PIP, which essentially covered up to $10,000 of medical expenses sustained in car accidents, regardless of who was at fault for the injuries. This no-fault law had sparked much debate between auto insurance companies and health care specialists.
Auto insurance companies had claimed that the old PIP system was wrought with fraud and that consumers would ultimately be the ones who’d suffer with higher car insurance rates. Doctors and health care providers challenged these claims, saying that the auto insurance companies were merely trying to pass on their costs to another sector.
Legislators could not come to an agreement on the Florida PIP law, which ceased to be at the beginning of this month. However, at Crist’s urging, the legislators came to a quick proposal on Florida PIP in a special legislative session.
The new law will not only reinstate Florida’s PIP law on January 1st of next year but also try to curtail instances of PIP fraud. With that said, Florida drivers involved in car accidents could be subject to a tort system establishing fault for the rest of the year.
There are roughly 700 car accidents in Florida each day, and as many as 300,000 PIP policies could expire before January. Florida motorists are urged to contact their insurance coverage agent with any questions about PIP in the meantime.
