Should Florida Rental Car Companies be Required to Carry Accident Injury Insurance?

As it currently stands, rental car companies doing business in the state of Florida are not required to furnish bodily injury insurance coverage to those who rent their vehicles, and otherwise, do not have insurance that would provide coverage in the event of a Florida car accident.

Generally, if a person who rents a car owns a vehicle that is insured, that insurance policy will likely cover the renter if they are in an accident. However, if an uninsured person rents a car and does not opt to purchase any bodily injury insurance coverage, the rental car company may not be liable to cover any injuries or damages resulting from a car accident caused by the renter.

Advocates of this requirement contend that, since rental car companies get to profit from renting vehicles to out-of-state visitors, they should be required to determine if that person has applicable insurance coverage, and if not, should be required to provide such coverage in an amount of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.

While there will be critics of this proposal, it stands to reason that if an otherwise uninsured renter causes a Florida car accident that results in others being injured, there should be insurance coverage available to help compensate those parties for their injuries. Absent this requirement, the renter and the rental car company may be relieved of all liability, while the Florida drivers and passengers are left with injuries and substantial out-of-pocket medical costs.

This issue is especially important in South Florida where many thousands of tourists from outside of Florida, and the United States, rent vehicles and drive throughout the year. Residents of Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Weston, Hollywood and other South Florida cities are at increased risk of being injured in a car accident with a rental vehicle that may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate them for their car accident injuries and other damages. If you have been in a South Florida car accident, it is important to contact a skilled Fort Lauderdale attorney to help investigate all available insurance coverages that may provide compensation for your car accident injuries.

For more information on this topic or any other, please feel free to contact the Schulman Law Group at (954) 349-3300 or at info@schulaw.com