The economic slowdown in the US is making it difficult for many American drivers to buy automobile insurance coverage. According to a recent study, it is expected about one in every six drivers by 2010 will be uninsured. Already there are five states in US where uninsured driver percentage is at all time high. These include Florida (23%), Oklahoma (24%), Alabama (26%), Mississippi (28%) and New Mexico (29%). Massachusetts has the least number (1%) of uninsured drivers on the road. If people are struggling to get food on the table, insurance definitely looks like a non essential item.
There is minimum liability coverage in many of the states, but still numerous people are unable to get money to buy insurance. It is believed an uninsured driver costs $4.8 billion to the country every year in damages.
Let’s try to understand how uninsured drivers affect the economy. At the ground level, there are both insured and uninsured drivers. If, unfortunately, you and another uninsured driver are involved in an accident, and it’s not your fault, all the responsibility for repair and medical expenses would still fall on you. You have the option of suing the other driver but they don’t even have the money to purchase insurance for themselves.
You can even go bankrupt if the accident was bad enough, due to expenses that are not covered by your automobile insurance. Even if your insurance company pays some amount, next time they will increase your insurance premium to compensate for the loss. It means insurance premiums will keep rising across the board for everyone. This is a vicious cycle which needs to be broken.
Here are some initial steps you could take if you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver: -
1. Note down the car model and registration number of the uninsured driver.
2. Try your best to get the correct name and address of the uninsured driver.
3. Take detailed notes of the accident scene.
4. Get the contract details of independent witnesses (if available).
5. Take as many pictures as you can. Get a picture of another driver’s face if possible. Let him or her take your picture if they so demand.
6. Get an accident report number from police.
