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Tampa Bay Car Accident Statistics: Proof Everyone Needs Car Insurance

With the economy falling on hard times, many people are cutting expenses in any way they can, including skimping on their auto insurance coverage. While it’s understandable that people should do everything they can to put food on the table for their families and survive, many are making a terrible mistake: driving without auto insurance.

Florida law states that if you drive a motor vehicle in the state, you must purchase auto insurance. Florida’s minimum insurance coverage is $10,000 Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 Property Damage Liability (PDL).

Driving without auto insurance in the state of Florida is illegal. If you do not purchase auto insurance according to the guidelines listed above, your driver’s license may be revoked for up to three years.

If the legal consequences of driving without auto insurance don’t compel you to buy auto insurance, then perhaps these recent auto accident statistics, provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, will.

In 2010 there were 17,480 traffic accidents in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Valrico, Fishhawk, Ruskin and Sun City Center. In 2009, in the city of Tampa alone, there were 6,788 car accidents. Alcohol was involved in 7% of them (480).

In 2009, Pinellas County, which encompasses St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Palm Harbor and the Gulf beaches, had 13,669 accidents.

The city of Tampa ranks third in traffic accidents statewide, behind Miami and Jacksonville. This makes auto insurance rates in Tampa higher than in other Florida cities. It also puts you at tremendous risk if you choose to drive without auto insurance and are later involved in an accident. The scary thing is that one in seven people across the country do not have auto insurance. In some states, it’s even as high as one in four!

If you are involved in a car accident and do not have auto insurance, the consequences can be physically and financially devastating. You will need repairs to your car, or possibly a new one, if your vehicle cannot be repaired. May require medical attention to cover injuries. Injuries sustained in car accidents can range from soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash, to more serious ones, such as a concussion or broken bones.

If you are hit by an uninsured motorist, it can be even worse. Considering that auto insurance can be relatively cheap compared to the cost of buying a vehicle, there’s absolutely no reason anyone should drive without it. Buying car insurance may seem very precautionary and even unnecessary, but it will save you a lot of pain and suffering later.

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