You’re probably used to carrying car insurance and you just think it’s the natural, required thing to do. It may never have crossed your mind to drive without proper coverage. If so, it may surprise you to learn that one out of every eight drivers carries no insurance at all.
This stat was recorded in a study done in 2012. It found that about 12.6 percent of drivers had no coverage, which is where the one in eight figure is drawn from.
Of course, not all states are the same, so this number doesn’t translate perfectly to Colorado. On opposite ends of the spectrum, for instance, you’ll find Massachusetts, with only 4 percent of the drivers carrying no insurance, and Oklahoma, where a staggering 26 percent are uninsured.
However, even if you use the one out of eight number, it’s quite eye opening. Think about how many cars you pass on your daily commute alone, as you head one way down the interstate and they head the other way. It probably only takes a second or two for eight cars to go by, and you know that an average of one driver doesn’t have coverage each time that happens.
The numbers have been generally falling, though there are some reversals. In 1992, the overall number was 15.6 percent. It went up to 16 percent in 1993, but it fell the following year to 15.1 percent. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, it was under 13 percent for three years in a row for the first time.
Be sure you know your rights regarding uninsured motorists if you’re involved in an accident, as being hit by one could be more likely than you previously assumed.
Source: Insurance Information Institute, “Uninsured Motorists,” accessed Nov. 20, 2015
