Many Florida drivers do not understand the importance of “stacked” auto coverage, or know the difference between stacking vs. non-stacking insurance.
Stacking means you may elect to combine the UM coverage you have on each vehicle you own, as a way to increase the payment limits of your insurance. Stacking insurance gives you much-needed protection if you are injured in an automobile accident and the at-fault driver has little or no insurance.
Speak with an experienced Florida attorney at our firm today.
Call 855-Kramer-Now (855-572-6376).
This is is a very important option for all Florida drivers to consider. Stacking also protects family and relatives that live with you, and covers you if you are injured while operating a motorcycle.
What Can You Stack? Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage.
“Stacking” insurance applies to Florida uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on your own vehicles.
In Florida, purchasing UM coverage is optional. If you are in a car crash and you have purchased UM, that policy will cover your medical bills, loss of income and pain and suffering, up to the limit of the policy:
- after your PIP protection limit of $10,000 is exhausted and
- the driver who caused the wreck has no or not enough bodily injury liability insurance to pay your expenses.
Examples of Stacking vs. Non-stacking Insurance in Florida
The option to stack insurance lets you, the policyholder, add one car’s coverage on top of another car’s coverage to increase the total available coverage if you are injured in an accident.
You can stack within a single policy:
For example: You purchase one UM policy that has limits for a single car of $50,000 per person and $150,000 per accident. There are two cars on the policy.
If you are in a car crash with an underinsured or uninsured motorist, or in a hit and run accident, your available UM payment limits are “stacked” together so you now have available coverage of up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.
You can stack across policies:
Say you and your wife have two vehicles, and each is insured on a different UM policy:
- Your truck is insured on one policy for $200,000 per person/$300,000 per accident, and
- your wife’s car is insured for $100,000 UM per person/$300,000 per accident.
If you or your wife sustain injuries in an accident, the stacked coverage limit would be $300,000 per person and up to $600,000 per accident.
Various other possibilities exist, but these illustrations clearly show how beneficial stacking UM insurance can be. In the event that serious car accident injuries occur, medical bills, loss of work and wages, and pain and suffering costs quickly climb into the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more.
Stacking insurance is the only way to ensure that you and your loved ones are protected as much as possible financially.
The Choice “Not to Stack” In Florida Is Yours
Under Florida law, uninsured motorist policies generally automatically stack for each premium, and in an amount equal to your bodily injury liability coverage.
However, when you purchase UM coverage, the law allows you to waive this option. In exchange for a lower premium, you may elect to execute a “non-stacking” provision in writing on the state-approved form.
When a coverage is “non-stacked,” insurance payments are restricted to the face value of the policy. If a policy has limits of $50,000 per person/$150,000 per accident, that exact coverage is what is available no matter how many vehicles are covered by the policy.
Speak with an experienced Florida attorney at our firm today.
Call 855-Kramer-Now (855-572-6376).
Isn’t the at-fault driver obligated to cover my expenses if I’m injured?
Not in Florida. Bodily injury liability insurance, or BIL, is the type of insurance that covers personal injury damages caused by another driver.
Like UM, bodily injury liability coverage is not mandatory in our state—which means most Florida drivers are not covered by BIL. This leaves an injured party with limited or no recourse to get money from the at-fault driver’s insurance to pay for the injuries he or she may have caused.
This is why UM becomes so important. When the responsible party’s insurance does not cover all damages, or the motorist has no BIL insurance at all, you can file a claim under your own uninsured/underinsured motor vehicle coverage.
Florida is 2nd in the Nation for Uninsured Motorists
Statistics from the Insurance Research Council show that approximately one in every four Florida drivers do not have liability insurance coverage. In the newest study, Uninsured Motorists, 2014 Edition, Florida ranked 2nd only to California in the highest number of uninsured motorists.
This factors heavily into why stacking insurance is a good idea in our state.
Do not wait until you or a loved one is injured in a car accident to realize how important stacking vs. non-stacking insurance can be. It may be one of the wisest decisions you can make this year.
Questions about Your Injury Case? Contact TK Law
UM insurance determinations rely on many factors. Your case is too important to answer without a careful review of your insurance policies, the at-fault motorist’s insurance policies, the circumstances of the auto accident, and case law.
Contact us today for caring, experienced assistance in any matters relating to auto accidents and other legal issues you face: Call 855-Kramer-Now (855-572-6376).