There are many naked drivers out there. No, not unclothed, but uninsured. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 13% of motorists are uninsured. That is roughly 1 out of 8 drivers.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage, or UM, protects the good drivers who obey the law from those that don’t. UM coverage will reimburse policyholders in accidents involving uninsured or hit-and-run drivers. UM covers your medical expenses, lost wages, emotional distress, pain and suffering … those kinds of things. But it doesn’t cover property damage resulting from the collision. For that you will need separate coverage (collision.)
Let’s say you are stopped at a light and are rear-ended by an uninsured driver. If you do not have UM coverage, you are up the creek without an insurance paddle. There is no insurance company to pay for your loss; no insurance company to make a claim against. Yes, you can sue the irresponsible driver for you damages, but odds are the driver is judgment proof. People who drive around without insurance generally have no assets they need to protect
So if you do not currently have Uninsured Motorist coverage, protect your rear-end and add it to your policy now.
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED MOTORISTS, 1992-2012 (1)
Year Percent
1992 -15.6%
1993 -16.0
1994 -15.1
1995 -14.2
1996 -13.8
1997 -13.2
1998 -13.0
1999 -12.8
2000 -13.4
2001 -14.2
2002 -14.5
2003 -14.9
2004 -14.6
2005 -14.6
2006 -14.3
2007 -13.8
2008 -14.3
2009 -13.8
2010 -12.3
2011 -12.2
2012 -12.6
(1) Percentage of uninsured drivers, as measured by the ratio of uninsured motorists (UM) claims to bodily injury (BI) claim frequencies.
Source: Insurance Research Council.
TOP TEN HIGHEST AND LOWEST STATES BASED ON ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED MOTORISTS, 2012 (1)
Rank Highest Percent uninsured .. Rank Lowest Percent uninsured
1 Oklahoma 25.9% …1 –Massachusetts 3.9%
2 Florida 23.8 …2 –Maine 4.7
3 Mississippi 22.9 …3 –New York 5.3
4 New Mexico 21.6 …4 –Utah 5.8
5 Michigan 21.0 …5 –North Dakota 5.9
6 Tennessee 20.1 …6 –Pennsylvania 6.5
7 Alabama 19.6 …7 –Nebraska 6.7
8 Rhode Island 17.0 …8 –Idaho 6.7
9 Colorado 16.2 …9 –South Carolina7.7
10 Washington 16.1 …10 –South Dakota 7.8
(1) Percentage of uninsured drivers, as measured by the ratio of uninsured motorists (UM) claims to bodily injury (BI) claim frequencies.
Source: Insurance Research Council.
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED MOTORISTS BY STATE, 2012 (1)
State ..Uninsured ..Rank (2) ..State ..Uninsured ..Rank (2)
Alabama 19.6% (7) ….Montana 14.1% (15)
Alaska 13.2 (21) ….Nebraska 6.7 (44)
Arizona 10.6 (29) ….Nevada 12.2 (23)
Arkansas 15.9 (11) ….New Hampshire 9.3 (34)
California 14.7 (13) ….New Jersey 10.3 (30)
Colorado 16.2 (9) ….New Mexico 21.6 (4)
Connecticut 8.0 (41) ….New York 5.3 (49)
Delaware 11.5 (27) ….North Carolina 9.1 (35)
D.C. 11.9 (24) ….North Dakota 5.9 (47)
Florida (3) 23.8 (2) ….Ohio 13.5 (17)
Georgia 11.7 (26) ….Oklahoma 25.9 (1)
Hawaii 8.9 (37) ….Oregon 9.0 (36)
Idaho 6.7 (45) ….Pennsylvania 6.5 (46)
Illinois 13.3 (20) ….Rhode Island 17.0 (8)
Indiana 14.2 (14) ….South Carolina 7.7 (43)
Iowa 9.7 (32) ….South Dakota 7.8 (42)
Kansas 9.4 (33) ….Tennessee 20.1 (6)
Kentucky 15.8 (12) ….Texas 13.3 (19)
Louisiana 13.9 (16) ….Utah 5.8 (48)
Maine 4.7 (50) ….Vermont 8.5 (39)
Maryland 12.2 (22) ….Virginia 10.1 (31)
Massachusetts 3.9 (51) ….Washington 16.1 (10)
Michigan 21.0 (5) ….West Virginia 8.4 (40)
Minnesota 10.8 (28) ….Wisconsin 11.7 (25)
Mississippi 22.9 (3) ….Wyoming 8.7 (38)
Missouri 13.5 (18)
(1) Percentage of uninsured drivers, as measured by the ratio of uninsured motorists (UM) claims to bodily injury (BI) claim frequencies.
(2) Rank calculated from unrounded data.
(3) In Florida, compulsory auto laws apply to PIP and physical damage, but not to third party bodily injury coverage.
Source: Insurance Research Council.
Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
