If you were hit by an uninsured driver in Florida and have points on your record, your rates are already elevated — and filing a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage can trigger another increase. Here's what happens next and which carriers offer the best options for pointed-record drivers filing claims.
What Happens to Your Rate When You File a Hit-and-Run Claim in Florida
Filing an uninsured motorist claim after a hit and run in Florida typically increases premiums by 10-25% at your next renewal, even though you were not at fault. The surcharge lasts 3-5 years depending on your carrier. If you already have points from a speeding ticket or at-fault accident, your rate is already elevated by 20-40%, and the hit-and-run claim stacks on top of that base increase.
Florida is a no-fault state, so your Personal Injury Protection coverage pays medical bills and lost wages first, up to your policy limit of $10,000. If injuries exceed that limit, your uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage kicks in. Your carrier sees two claims: one against PIP, one against UM. Carriers treat not-at-fault claims more leniently than at-fault accidents, but two claims filed within a 3-year window signal higher risk to underwriting algorithms.
The combination of existing points and a new claim often pushes pointed-record drivers out of preferred-tier pricing entirely. Standard and non-standard carriers become the only realistic options. Progressive, Dairyland, and National General write non-standard auto policies in Florida and typically offer quotes to drivers with one or two violations plus a recent claim. Preferred carriers like State Farm or USAA may non-renew at the end of your current term if the claim and points together exceed their risk threshold.
How Florida's Point System Interacts With Hit-and-Run Claims
A hit-and-run claim does not add points to your Florida driving record because you were not cited for a violation. Points accumulate only when you are convicted of a moving violation or at-fault accident. Florida assigns 3 points for most speeding tickets, 4 points for reckless driving, and 6 points for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.
If you accumulate 12 points within 12 months, Florida suspends your license for 30 days. An 18-point total within 18 months triggers a 3-month suspension. A 24-point total within 36 months suspends your license for one year. Most pointed-record drivers in Florida sit between 3 and 9 points — enough to elevate rates significantly but below the suspension threshold.
Your insurance rate increase from the hit-and-run claim is independent of your point total on the DMV record, but carriers evaluate both during renewal underwriting. A driver with 6 points and no claims may stay in standard pricing. A driver with 6 points and two claims in three years will likely be moved to non-standard pricing or non-renewed. The claims history triggers the tier change, not the points alone.
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Which Coverage Types Pay for Hit-and-Run Damage in Florida
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering if the hit-and-run driver caused injuries that exceed your PIP limit. Florida does not require UM coverage, but if you carry it, your policy limit determines how much you can recover. Typical UM limits range from $25,000/$50,000 to $100,000/$300,000.
Uninsured motorist property damage coverage is not available in Florida. If the hit-and-run driver damaged your car, your collision coverage pays for repairs minus your deductible. If you carry liability-only coverage with no collision, you pay out of pocket for vehicle damage. Collision coverage is optional in Florida unless your lender requires it, but it becomes essential after a hit and run because the at-fault driver's insurance is unavailable.
Personal Injury Protection pays first for your own medical bills and lost wages, up to $10,000, regardless of fault. Florida requires all drivers to carry PIP. If you were injured in the hit and run, PIP covers 80% of medical expenses and 60% of lost wages up to the policy limit. Once PIP is exhausted, UM bodily injury coverage takes over if the other driver was uninsured or unidentified.
Rate Recovery Timeline After a Hit-and-Run Claim
The surcharge from a not-at-fault UM claim typically falls off after 3-5 years, depending on your carrier's lookback period. Progressive and GEICO use a 3-year lookback for not-at-fault claims. State Farm and Allstate use 5 years. If you have points from a separate violation, those points stay on your Florida DMV record for 3-5 years depending on the violation type, but carriers apply surcharges based on their own internal lookback windows, which often extend beyond the DMV timeline.
A speeding ticket conviction stays on your Florida driving record for 3 years. Carriers typically surcharge for 3-5 years. An at-fault accident with property damage over $500 stays on your record for 3 years. Carriers surcharge for 3-7 years. The hit-and-run claim and the points violation surcharges run on parallel timelines — they do not reset each other, but they do not compound either. Each surcharge percentage is applied to your base rate independently.
To accelerate rate recovery, complete a Florida-approved Basic Driver Improvement course within 90 days of your first violation conviction. The course removes up to 4 points from your DMV record once every 12 months, but it does not remove the violation from your carrier's underwriting record. You must request a re-rate at renewal after completing the course. Some carriers apply a discount for course completion; others simply remove the point-based surcharge. Shopping for a new carrier after the 3-year mark often yields lower rates than waiting for your current carrier to drop the surcharge.
Which Florida Carriers Write Policies for Pointed-Record Drivers Filing Claims
Non-standard carriers accept drivers with multiple points and recent claims. Dairyland writes policies for drivers with 6-12 points and one or two not-at-fault claims in the past 3 years. National General quotes drivers with up to 9 points and a single UM claim. Bristol West and Access General write high-risk policies but require SR-22 filing for certain violations, which does not apply to standard point violations like speeding tickets.
Standard carriers like Progressive and GEICO remain options for drivers with 3-6 points and a single not-at-fault claim, but rates increase significantly. Progressive's Snapshot telematics program offers a modest discount if you demonstrate low-risk driving behavior for 6 months. GEICO's accident forgiveness feature waives the first at-fault accident surcharge, but it does not apply to not-at-fault UM claims.
Preferred carriers like State Farm, USAA, and Allstate typically non-renew drivers who accumulate 9 or more points or file two claims within 3 years. If you currently hold a preferred-tier policy and your points plus claims push you out of eligibility, your carrier will send a non-renewal notice 45-120 days before your policy expires. Florida law requires carriers to provide written notice and a reason for non-renewal. You will need to shop with standard or non-standard carriers before your current policy ends to avoid a coverage lapse, which would add another surcharge when you eventually secure coverage.
When SR-22 Filing Is Required After a Hit and Run in Florida
A hit-and-run claim does not trigger SR-22 filing in Florida. SR-22 is required only after specific violations: DUI, driving without insurance, leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, habitual traffic offender designation, or license reinstatement after a suspension. If you were the victim of a hit and run and filed a UM claim, no filing requirement applies unless you also have a separate qualifying violation on your record.
If you accumulate 12 points within 12 months and your license is suspended, Florida requires SR-22 filing for 3 years after reinstatement. The filing fee is $25-$50, and carriers charge an additional $300-$800 annually to maintain the filing. Non-standard carriers like Dairyland and National General specialize in SR-22 policies and typically quote lower rates than preferred carriers for drivers with filing requirements.
SR-22 is a certificate of financial responsibility, not a type of insurance. Your carrier files the SR-22 form with the Florida DMV on your behalf. If your policy lapses or is canceled, the carrier notifies the DMV within 10 days, and your license is suspended immediately. You must maintain continuous coverage for the full 3-year filing period without any lapse longer than 30 days. A lapse restarts the 3-year clock.
