Commerical Vehicle Insurance Online in Florida
Reader’s Question:
I have a vacation home in Orlando, Florida and I reside most of the time in New York. I want to buy a car in Florida, register and insure it there. Is it possible that I could use it when I went on vacation? This is a commercial vehicle, can I still get a quote online?
Henry
Orlando, FL
Yes Henry, it should be possible for you to register and insure a car to keep at your vacation home in Florida. There are actually many “snowbirds” that live part of the year in Florida and the other part in different parts of the US or even out of the country. The state of Florida requires any seasonal or part time resident living in Florida for 90 days or more during the year to get a Florida personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability (PDL) car insurance for their vehicle.
Since it sounds as if your car will remain in Florida year round then you will need to keep this Florida minimum insurance on the car for the whole year. For the months that you are not in Orlando, Florida you must continue to maintain car insurance on your vehicle or surrender your Florida tag and registration at the nearest driver license or tag office. If you opt to do this, when you next return to Florida you can register the vehicle after you have obtained proof of Florida insurance once again. Contact the FL Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) to get information on how to register a car in Florida.
Will Auto Insurance Pay for Damaged Windshield?
Reader’s Question:
My car’s windshield got broken in an accident that involves my friend’s surfboard. I want to know if I can claim from my car insurance or not. By the way, if I don’t get the glass replaced soon, can I still drive the car around even with that broken glass? Will I be ticketed by the Florida police?
Ryan
Miami, Florida
In Florida, if you carry only the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and the Property Damage Liability (PD), which is the minimum auto insurance required by the state, then expect that your damaged windshield will not be covered.
Typically, the repair or replacement of a windshield is covered by the Comprehensive Coverage. In your state, if you carry this kind of policy, the deductible is waived when the windshield is being replaced. This is noted under Florida Statute 627.7288. So, if you only have liability coverage in your policy, it is likely that you would have to personally fund the replacement of your windshield.
It is possible that you may be ticketed for a broken windshield, especially if the law enforcer finds the damage to be obstructing your view and considers it unsafe. Under Section 316.2952, it is stated that a vehicle must have a windshield. However it is not stated that the vehicle has to have a windshield that is in “proper condition.” Therefore, this conviction would have to be assessed further in court. If the court finds the broken windshield to be unsafe, then it would state that you are violating Section 316.610, which is driving an unsafe vehicle.
Do I Need To Have Full Coverage Auto Insurance in Michigan?
Reader’s Question:
I’m currently leasing my car so I make it a habit to shop around for lower auto insurance rates in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’m thinking if it’s possible for me to drop some insurance coverage that I don’t need; let me give you the list of what I have. I have Personal Injury Protection, residual property damage, residual uninsured motorist, special tort liability, property protection, comprehensive, and collision. I doubt if I need all these.
Amanda
Ann Harbor, MI
The best thing for you to do is to consult a licensed insurance agent or a financial advisor since they’re the experts on this field. It is very important for you to know what’s covered by each part of your policy and whether your state requires minimum levels of each.
Michigan requires three insurance basic auto insurance coverage: (1) Personal Injury Protection (PIP) that pays all of your medical costs, lost wages if you miss work caused by the injury (2) Property protection coverage that pays up to $1 million for damages your automobile does to other people’s property; and (3) Residual bodily injury/property damage that pays costs if you’re sued after causing an accident.
Collision and comprehensive coverage pay for physical damages to your vehicle is not required by your state. To make these less expensive is to raise your deductible. Also, MI is one of the “No-Fault” states. That means you cannot recover the cost of repairing your vehicle from another driver even if that driver caused the accident. Uninsured motorist coverage that covers you in a hit-and-run accident (or if you’re hit by someone without insurance), is also not required.
There are two exceptions you need to be aware of: first is the “mini-tort” exception which allows you to file a claim against the other driver in small claims court for damages not exceeding $500; second, if your car was legally parked at the time of the collision, you’re allowed to make a claim against that person for the full dollar amount of your repairs (assuming you know who did the damage).
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