A new study has found that Florida drivers are some of the best in the country. The study, conducted by QuoteWizard, ranked Florida drivers as number two in the U.S., based on Federal Highway Administration data on DUIs, traffic tickets and accidents.
Hard to believe your neighbors are such good drivers? Well, there are some caveats.
One area where Floridians aren’t doing so well is car insurance coverage. Almost a quarter of Florida drivers are uninsured. QuoteWizard notes that if they’d taken this into account in their rankings, Florida drivers wouldn’t have done nearly as well.
And while Floridians might be getting fewer traffic citations than drivers in other states, their accident rates are rising, and the three-quarters of drivers who actually are insured are paying for it in their premiums.
The Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this year Florida insurance premiums are rising along with traffic accident rates. Between January 2015 and May 2016, car insurance premiums across the state rose about 14 percent. The rate increase accompanied a 9 percent increase in car accidents, likely due in part to an increase in the number of drivers on the road.
Higher premiums may continue to keep uninsured Floridians from getting insurance, making insured drivers more likely to have to rely on their own insurance if they’re in an accident.
If you’ve been in any kind of traffic accident, it’s important to consult with an attorney before filing insurance claims, and especially before accepting a settlement from an insurance company. This can be especially important if your accident involved an uninsured driver.