On the road: the most important insurance coverage you need

So you think you’re “fully insured,” right? Think again. With so many crazy drivers out there, remember that Florida doesn’t require bodily injury coverage, and as a result, there are millions of drivers out there who are uninsured if they injure you.

Uninsured motorist coverage provides coverage in your favor if, God forbid, you’re injured by a driver who has no bodily injury coverage, and is therefore, uninsured for the harm he or she has caused.

Under those circumstances, if you have uninsured motorist coverage — “UM” for short–you can proceed against your own insurance company as if you were proceeding against the at fault driver.

This coverage– uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage–is so important that you have to sign not to buy it. Insurance companies must offer it to you if, and only if you purchase bodily injury coverage, which covers you if you accidentally injure someone else.

I hate telling an injured client that I can’t help her because there’s no insurance coverage. So get UM and hope you’ll never need it. But if you do, you’ll be glad it’s there.