" What does ‘Full Coverage ‘ mean?"

“But I have full coverage”
As the saying goes, “ If I had a nickel …” for every time I heard a client tell me this only to find out that this phrase means something very different to a personal injury lawyer, I would be rich.
Most people use their common sense and interpret this phrase to mean that they have coverage for every single event involving their vehicle. In reality, this is not correct. In the state of Florida, drivers are not required to purchase bodily injury insurance in order to get a license.
So what? Well, this is a big deal. Bodily injury coverage is insurance coverage that people purchase in order to protect their assets if they injure someone in a crash. Since this coverage is not required in Florida, many drivers are running around our state without bodily injury insurance. This means that if you are hit and hurt by a driver who does not have bodily injury insurance, you may have no collectible claim.
The only way to protect yourself from the above scenario is to purchase something called uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. In the personal injury arena we refer to this as”UM” coverage. Having this insurance means, to a trial lawyer, that you have full coverage.
Rarely is this explained to the unsuspecting public. Rather, the insurance agent simply tells them that they have “full coverage” meaning they are fully covered to drive in the state of Florida not that they are fully covered in the event of this type of casualty or occurrence.
In summary, please make sure, if you can afford it, to purchase this very important coverage. Without this type of coverage you could be hurt in an automobile crash and not be able to get representation because the lawyer would have no way to get a recovery for you.