Florida Tough Teen Driving Laws, Insurance Regulations

In Florida, auto insurance coverage is mandatory for everyone operating a vehicle

. The minimum the law will allow is $10,000 of bodily injury coverage for one person, $20,000 for more than one, and $10,000 in property damage liability. The state law says that these minimums must be in place when the operator of the vehicle incurs a DUI citation, the result of which is revocation of his or her driver's license.

Additionally the minimum coverage must be in force should a driver have an accident that is his or her fault and which involves any injuries. A driver whose license gets suspended for having received too many points on it, or because of habitual traffic offenses must carry the minimums as well. While coverage for uninsured and under-insured drivers is not a requirement of Florida drivers the state says that each insurance carrier must offer the coverage and must document in writing any time a driver is offered such coverage and declines it.

Florida auto insurance carriers and the state itself, realizing that teenagers have far more accidents in southern states than in other areas of the country, worked together to devise a plan to improve the teen accident statistics. One of the first states to implement a Graduated Drivers License (GDL) plan, Florida has realized a nine percent decrease in auto accidents that involved teens, in just one year of the program.

As of 1996, when this highly successful plan went into effect, teens must pass three distinct levels of licensing before they are issued a final license to operate a vehicle on their own. The GDL requires that anyone 15 or 16 years of age must pass a driver's education class before even applying for a learner's permit. Once the learner's permit is issued, the teenager still has to undergo 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 hours of which must be after sunset. The teen has to drive with the learner's permit for one year, and have a flawless driving record during that year, before he or she can apply for a license. The license then issued is a restricted one, what Florida calls a Class E license, only given to Florida residents 16 or 17 years of age.

Then, to obtain a standard driver's license, the teenager must obtain written parental consent, pass an additional course in substance abuse, prove Florida residency, provide his or her social security card, pass both a written and vision test, and pay a small fee.

While these Florida regulations may seem a bit harsh, the reduction in teen auto accidents is notable. Of course, another distinct advantage of these tough regulations is that teens who follow these guidelines of driver's education training and clean driving record for one year will pay far less for their Florida auto insurance than others who fail to comply.

by: Todd Meyers

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