Hundreds of Bermudians could be driving illegally and uninsured in Florida, and not even realise they are doing so.A little known law that came into effect on January 1 requires foreign visitors to the state to hold an international drivers permit. And tourists that don’t, and get into an accident, might find themselves with insurance claims that will not be paid.Now state officials in Florida are working to amend the law that has turned thousands of unwitting foreign tourists into illegal drivers.“We will work with the legislature to amend the law this year so it does not burden international visitors to our state, who make up an important part of our tourism industry,” a spokesman for Governor Rick Scott said.The intent of the law was to make sure all drivers in Florida held a licence translated into English, but many frequent visitors from Canada, England and other English-speaking countries have visited the state without realising they needed the documentation.The Canadian Automobile Association is warning members that insurers may not pay claims for any accident they have while driving without an international drivers permit in Florida.“Every single time someone drives without an IDP, it’s a risk,” said Kristine Simpson, public relations manager for the CAA in Ottawa, which sounded the alarm last week.Florida’s state highway police have said they would not enforce the law and encouraged local law enforcement agencies to follow suit, citing a possible conflict with an international treaty, the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.But the law remains on the books.Visit Florida, the state’s tourism agency, posted an article on its website yesterday warning foreign travellers that they need an international driver’s permit, and that the law’s impact on their personal auto insurance and ability to rent a car is “uncertain”.International travellers accounted for nearly 15 percent of Florida’s 87.3 million visitors in 2011. Canada tops the list of foreign visitors at 3.3 million, followed by 1.5 million Brazilian and 1.3 million British tourists.The CAA’s Simpson said it could take until summer before legislative action takes effect. The auto club in the past week issued more than 20,000 international drivers permits to Canadians who jammed its offices after learning about the new law, Simpson added.CAA government relations director Ian Jack estimated more than a million Canadian snowbirds are already in Florida for the January-to-March season, and many are turning to rush mail delivery to obtain a permit.Jack described the reaction of Canadians as “stupefied, frustrated and concerned.”Paula Rivera, public affairs manager for the Hertz rental car company, said the company would continue to rent cars in Florida to foreign visitors who do not hold international drivers permits while “the law is on hold”.Customers who choose to purchase auto insurance from Hertz will be covered despite any implications of the law, she said. For customers who rely on their personal auto insurance to cover them in the rental car, Rivera said, the impact of the Florida law “is one of those additional questions you need to ask your insurance company prior to renting a car”.