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DUI offenders must soon carry more insurance
A drunken driver's victim watches as Crist signs the law.
By STEPHANIE GARRY
Published July 20, 2007
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Gov. Charlie Crist greets Christopher Prati after the ceremonial signing of a law that requires people convicted of DUI to carry $100,000 worth of liability insurance to pay for victims injuries. Prati was struck from behind on his motorcyle in September 2003 in Dunedin while stopped at a traffic light by a drunk driver. His mother, Pat Prati, (back) and sisters Laura Krieger, (back left), Susan Hingle (right) and Cheryl Prati (far right) look on.
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[Times photo: Scott Keeler]
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ST. PETERSBURG - Before a drunken driver slammed into his motorcycle as he waited at a red light, Chris Prati managed about 100 people at a bank call center in Tampa.
Now the 40-year-old father of two teenagers requires 24-hour care and lives in a Clearwater nursing home. The 2003 accident left him unable to eat or speak. He communicates through scribbled notes and sign language.
On Thursday, Gov. Charlie Crist met Prati during a ceremony where he signed a law that requires drunken drivers to carry 10 times the liability insurance of other drivers.
Sponsored by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, and Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, the law is meant to cover the expenses of DUI victims like Prati, whose injuries have forced his mother to pay out of pocket for some of his care. Medicaid covers most of Prati's costs.
"That law is fantastic because it's putting the responsibility where it lies," Prati's sister, Susan Hingle, 48, said Thursday at the ceremony in front of the St. Petersburg Police Department.
"If the money had been available, he may have been able to walk by now," she said, explaining that advanced therapy could have made the difference during the year after the injury, when the brain is most able to recover.
After Oct. 1, a driving-under-the-influence conviction or guilty plea will require the driver to carry $100,000 of insurance for one injured person, $300,000 for two or more injured people and $50,000 to cover property damage. For the first person injured, that's a tenfold increase in coverage.
The requirement will expire in three years if the driver maintains a clean record.
"DUI is a senseless crime," Crist said to a crowd of activists from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, police and local officials. "It can hurt people like Chris Prati."
In Florida, 1,471 people died after crashes with drunken drivers in 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. More than one-third of drunken drivers are repeat offenders.
Kriseman said that in addition to covering victims' expenses, the threat of more expensive insurance will deter people from the crime.
Matt Bower, a lobbyist for MADD, said people convicted of DUI will have to show proof of insurance to have their driver's licenses reinstated.
"Victims were being forced into bankruptcies, losing their homes and not being able to care for their families," said Bower, chief of staff for Jeffrey Luhrsen, the chairman of the MADD Florida Public Policy Council. "That's what prompted this bill."
The legislation also has an unrelated clause that prohibits insurance companies from charging extra or denying an application for a person who volunteers as a driver for charity.
After signing the law, Crist handed out blue felt pens to politicians, Prati, his mother and three sisters. Prati wrote down his thoughts about meeting Crist on a notepad.
"What do you think of the governor?" asked his sister Laura Krieger, 46, of Clearwater.
"Great," he wrote.
"Will he be good for the state of Florida?" Hingle asked. "He's passing good laws."
"Yes!" Prati wrote.
Stephanie Garry can be reached at 727 893-2374 or at sgarry@sptimes.com. BY THE NUMBERS
45,000
Average number of people convicted of DUI each year in Florida.
1,471
People killed in drunken driving-related crashes in Florida in 2005.
$100,000
Amount of insurance drunken drivers will need to carry for one injured person, a tenfold increase.
Source: Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and U.S. Department of Transportation.
[Last modified July 20, 2007, 00:33:44]
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Comments on this article
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by cheryl
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12/13/07 12:58 AM
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My brother is this man in the wheelchair. What can I say???? Have met the Gov. and had no help from his office. I think that he is too busy with the "cheerleader type girls" Have seen him on 3 occassions at the bucs games. Sorry Gov. Not cool!!
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by John
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07/20/07 09:30 PM
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100/300 coverage is nothing. I carry 500/500 and have for a number of years and I don't drink.
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by Melinda
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07/20/07 09:23 PM
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Another bill sponsored by State Farm and the Big Insurance to put more money in the CEOs pockets. DUI is a terrible thing...but so is insurance extortion.
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by Bob
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07/20/07 08:36 PM
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If your drunk and cause an accident your insurance doesn't cover you. Who pays for the guy you hit or killed. No one
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by Cheryl
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07/20/07 06:17 PM
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Here's an idea---don't drink and drive in the first place! I have NO sympathy at all for those that drink and drive. Driving is a PRIVILEGE, not a right!
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by John
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07/20/07 04:58 PM
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Once again a person that makes a mistake is being punished more than drug dealers and armed robbers. Good job..I think. How about addressing real problems.
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by 20/20
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07/20/07 04:54 PM
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I agree with JT. Far, far more Americans are killed by drunk and/or reckless drivers than are killed in Iraq or by terrorists.
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by Joe
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07/20/07 04:32 PM
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I am with Mike. Three beers and a guys life is ruined. There are a lot more serious crimes that need the focus of what little police we are going to have left. Drunk drivers do not slam drinks saying they are going to kill. They are not premeditated.
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by Jim
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07/20/07 03:34 PM
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This should be the minimum coverage for ALL drivers. It doesn't really cost that much more. Peace of mind for the insured, and protection for society from under-insured drivers.
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by Tommi
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07/20/07 01:34 PM
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Now have the Raymond James patrons pass through toll booths on the way home to scan their breath for DUI and VOILA...mo money, mo money. We'll help these poor insurance companies and tax losses one way or another.
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by 20/20
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07/20/07 11:56 AM
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If you get a dui don't you lose your license at least temporarily? If not why not?
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by Carol
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07/20/07 11:56 AM
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What would have been even better is if Crist would not have been behind all of the tax cuts which takes cops off the street. Interesting how his latest benefits ins companies - there were no cuts in that area? Coincidence?
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by Doug
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07/20/07 11:38 AM
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This is too late to help the first victim. Only after a conviction will one have to carry this level coverage. Besides who wouldn't have $100/300k as a good driver? I get dropped after a dui from State Farm so guess I would be walking by then.
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by JT
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07/20/07 11:21 AM
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So, there are more Americans being killed in FLA by DUI-scum than there are soldiers being killed in Iraq. WHY NO PROTEST MARCHES AGAINST THIS??? Requiring more insurance can't hurt but why not permanantly revoke license? They can take a cab/bus/bike
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by James
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07/20/07 11:00 AM
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Honestly longer jail times and high fines would be more effective then higher insurance rates. This new bill means we will have more uninsured motorist on the roads because DUI offenders can't afford it.
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by Mary
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07/20/07 11:00 AM
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Good job legislators & Crist. This is common sense law. It just occurred to me... I wonder how many drunks even have insurance, esp. repeaters. DUIs are another good reason for mass transit/lite rail...ride the train home instead of driving.
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by Kay
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07/20/07 10:52 AM
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This does seem a bit silly. It's a little late to require it AFTER a d u i. How about preventing it in the first place with those devices so your car won't start if you blow alcohol. Besides, what if they don't own a car but want a license anyhow?
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by o
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07/20/07 10:32 AM
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how many drunken drivers have a valid license...carry insurance... or obey the law?
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by Joe
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07/20/07 10:11 AM
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My insurance also does NOT cover damages if I am drunk. This needs to be addressed by the Gov. Crist, and spotlighted by the St Petersburg Times.
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by mike
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07/20/07 09:54 AM
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The DUI crusade is really out of control. Prati's story is very sad, and you should absolutely be in prison if you hurt someone while driving drunk, but where does it stop? There's a higher penalty for driving at .08 than for shooting at someone.
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by Louis
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07/20/07 09:35 AM
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Unfortunately, habitual drunken drivers drive without a license and without insurance. Florida needs to make it more difficult for new drivers to obtain a divers license, a lot more education is needed
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by Beachcomber
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07/20/07 09:11 AM
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Phil, some insurance companies WILL drop you. But there is always one who will assume the risk.
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by Ron
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07/20/07 08:47 AM
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How does this insurance requirement assist the victim of a first time DUI offender? The increased coverage requirement of the accused, does not become actionable until after a DUI conviction (or guilty plea)
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by Chris
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07/20/07 08:44 AM
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What does clean record mean (speeding ticket, etc.)? And if it's broken, what happens then? Another three years of that kind of coverage?
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by Phil
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07/20/07 08:23 AM
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Ironic, since my auto insurance policy specifically declines coverage if I'm drunk and cause an accident.
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by maurice
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07/20/07 06:19 AM
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This is real good except a lot iof insurance companies have a stipulation? If you get a dui you insurance does not cover damages. That means you pay out of your own pocket. I know people who have received a dui and the insurance did not cover damages
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