All across the United States, drivers are required to carry car insurance. It is illegal to operate a vehicle without having some form of insurance policy. At the very least, a driver needs to have a policy that will help cover injuries and property damage costs if they strike someone else. This type of policy may not pay for repairs on their vehicle itself, but it is in place to protect others from the damage those drivers can cause.
Nonetheless, there are always uninsured drivers on the road. Nationwide, roughly 13% of drivers are uninsured. In California, it is even a bit higher, at 16.6%. Further, the rate of uninsured drivers has been trending upward. Over the last 10 years, there has been an increase of about 1.6%.
Why do people drive without insurance?
Cost is the main reason that people drive without insurance. They simply do not want to pay for the insurance policy, perhaps feeling it is too expensive to be practical. They decide to take a risk and just hope that they will not cause an accident.
There can be other reasons why this happens, including drivers who unintentionally do not have insurance. For instance, a driver may have thought their policy was set to automatically renew, but the payment never went through. They could spend months driving without insurance without actually realizing that their policy has been dropped.
Regardless of the specific reason why someone does not have insurance, it can create a complex situation if they cause an accident and you suffer injuries as a result. Be sure you know exactly what legal steps to take at this time.
