Florida car insurance rates are pretty high. What can be done to help lower the costs of Florida car insurance?

One of the reasons for higher car insurance rates in Florida has been the claims from storm damage. A greater risk of losses due to hurricanes and flooding can increase rates. We've certainly seen this with a rise in home insurance rates in Florida. This is pretty hard to control -- or predict.

However, there have been high incidences of auto insurance fraud in Florida, including such things as "staged" crashes. These would lead to lawsuits and a high rate of claims. According to the Insurance Information Institute, a recent study showed that the costs of auto injury claims has risen faster in Florida than the national average. Some of these costs could be related to fraudulent medical office visits. Insurers compensate for this fraud by raising rates. Everybody pays for the actions of criminals.

Florida is one of the states that has a no-fault auto insurance law designed to combat auto insurance fraud. With a no-fault law, if a motorist wants to sue for injuries or pain and suffering there are certain thresholds that need to be met before the case is considered.

Florida continues to work on reducing the opportunities for insurance fraud in the state. However, Florida's no-fault law is scheduled to end in 2007.

You can help by reporting any incidents of insurance fraud to the Florida Department of Financial Services. You can help yourself save on your Florida car insurance by shopping around. You should get at least three comparison quotes, and make sure you're comparing identical coverages.