What to do after an accident with an uninsured driver

Despite the fact that it’s illegal to operate a motor vehicle in Florida without insurance, many drivers take the risk.

You don’t want to be part of a motor vehicle accident, but if you are it’s much easier if the individual who caused it has insurance. Unfortunately, you could soon find that this isn’t the case.

Here are a few important steps to take if you’re involved in an accident with an uninsured driver:

• Call 911: This is important regardless of the circumstances, but even more so the case if the other driver doesn’t have insurance. The responding officer will create a police report, noting that the individual was driving without coverage.
• Don’t accept money from the other driver: There’s a good chance this person realizes they’re now in serious trouble for driving without insurance. So, to protect themselves, they may offer you money in exchange for filing an insurance claim. At this point, you have no idea about the cost of damages or extent of your injuries. Even if you think it’s a fair offer, you could be missing out on money that’s owed to you.
• Exchange contact information: The person doesn’t have insurance, so you’ll want to collect other contact details to identify them in the future. In addition to their name, address and phone number, take down their license plate number and vehicle make and model.
• Review your policy: The other person doesn’t have insurance, but your policy may be able to step in and help with that. Pay close attention to your uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This kicks in if you sustain damages in an accident with someone who doesn’t have insurance or only has minimum coverage.

While it’s important to bring your insurance company up to speed on what’s happening, don’t place all your trust in them. You’ll rely heavily on them since the other driver doesn’t have insurance, but you must still protect your legal rights.

It’s a challenge to deal with the aftermath of an accident with an uninsured driver, but taking the right steps will put your mind at ease and allow you to move past this challenge.