PIP switch

As a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney, I am in favor of the new legislation proposing to scrap “Personal Injury Protection” or PIP, aka “No Fault” coverage, in favor of mandatory bodily injury liability coverage for all Florida drivers. The reasons are very simple.

The way the law is now, the fact that an accident occurs makes a person eligible for medical coverage for themselves, but not for the person they injure. Liability is not a factor.

Florida law now requires coverage for medical expenses/wages up to $10,000 for drivers only. How is this fair to the person who the negligent driver has injured? Florida is one of the few states that has this type of “PIP” law.

Many of my clients have been hit by drivers with zero or only $10,000 of bodily injury coverage. The $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident would make a huge difference in this respect.

However, the legislature should also require the same coverage for uninsured motorists, as there are too many irresponsible drivers on Florida’s roads with no insurance at all.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 12:54 AM with the headline "PIP switch."