It's the final week of the legislative session in Tallahassee and one bill still making the rounds would reform auto insurance in Florida.
The state House has already passed a bill that would repeal the legal requirement that drivers carry PIP or Personal Injury Protection and require drivers instead to pay for Bodily Injury coverage in the amounts of $25,000 per person or $50,000 per accident to cover others when the driver is at fault.
Research shows that more than 90 percent of Florida drivers already carry at least some Bodily Injury coverage.
Paul Jess is the interim Executive Director of the Florida Justice Association. He says this change could have Palm Beach County drivers saving an average of $80 per vehicle.
"If we had more insured drivers on the road because of a law like this, we would all pay a lot less for the Uninsured Motorist coverage that those of us who know anything about insurance buy as much of as we can to protect us from all the folks out there that are not insured."
The association has been lobbying for the change.
"We think that Florida should join the 48 other states that have fault-based coverages, so that if you happen to be distracted and run a stop sign and hit someone, that insurance would cover not only the person's damage to their auto, but it would cover their medical bills."
A bill in the Senate would replace PIP with a mandate for $5,000 in medical payments for the driver's own injuries. The Property Damage requirements would remain the same.
Jess tells us that studies show local drivers could still save money.
Photo: Blend Images