Almost every state in the United States requires car owners to have some kind of insurance. However, there are those that fail to comply with these regulations and drive without insurance. In this article, we take a look at the number of uninsured drivers in the US.
The number of people without insurance in the United States is estimated to be around 28 million, which is 12.6% of registered drivers. High cost is often cited as the reason for driving without insurance.
Every driver in the US is legally required to have car insurance. There are severe consequences to driving without insurance. Continue reading to learn about car insurance in the US and how many people drive without them.
How Many People Drive Without Car Insurance In The US?
Recent statistics show that a significant amount of US drivers are uninsured, with the number as high as 28 million. This figure translates to 1 in every eight drivers (12.6%). The number of uninsured drivers in the US saw a significant increase between 2015 and 2019 due to the corresponding increase in the number of licensed drivers.
Below is a table showing the percentage of uninsured motorists from 2003 to 2019.
| Year | Percentage of uninsured motorists (2019) |
| 2003 | 14.9% |
| 2007 | 13.8% |
| 2010 | 12.3% |
| 2015 | 13% |
| 2019 | 12.6% |
When the statistics of uninsured drivers were analyzed by states, it was found that Mississippi has the highest percentage of uninsured drivers in the US, followed by Michigan and Tennessee. Below is a table showing the ten highest percentages of uninsured drivers by state.
| State | Percentage of uninsured motorists (2019) |
| Mississippi | 29.4% |
| Michigan | 25.5% |
| Tennessee | 23.7% |
| New Mexico | 21.8% |
| Washington | 21.7% |
| Florida | 20.4% |
| Alabama | 19.5% |
| Arkansas | 19.3% |
| District of Columbia | 19.1% |
| California | 16.6% |
The States with the lowest percentages of uninsured drivers can be found below:
| State | Percentage of uninsured motorists (2019) |
| New Jersey | 3.1% |
| Massachusetts | 3.5% |
| New York | 4.1% |
| Maine | 4.9% |
| Wyoming | 5.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 6.0% |
| New Hampshire | 6.1% |
| Connecticut | 6.3% |
| Utah | 6.5% |
| South Dakota | 7.4% |
Is Car Insurance Mandatory In The US?
You must demonstrate financial responsibility for damages or events in the case of an accident before you can drive in the United States. It’s a mandatory legal requirement in every state in the United States. For most states, your car insurance is the proof you need to show you have the financial capability to deal with any damages or liability that comes with an accident.
In New Hampshire, insurance isn’t compulsory. You just need to prove you are financially capable of paying for any damages you may cause in an accident, and this still makes car insurance a reasonable investment.
By now, you should know why car insurance is mandated. It’s simply to ensure you can pay for any damage you cause. Your vehicle has the potential to cause harm to others, and the State wants you to be able to pay for any damages you cause to other road users.
How Much Is Car Insurance Mandatory?
To legally drive your vehicle on public roads, you need to have the minimum liability coverage of your state. The minimum amount of coverage you need to have varies from State to State.
Car insurance is regulated at the state level, so you should find out the minimum coverage required in your state. Types of minimum coverage car insurance include:
Bodily Injury Liability
This type of insurance covers the medical bills of parties involved in an accident that you cause.
Property Damage Liability
This covers the property damage you cause to others, such as damage to their vehicles.
Uninsured/Underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM)
UM offers protection when you are involved with an uninsured driver or one that doesn’t have enough coverage to pay for your losses.
Personal Injury Protection
This type of coverage will cover your medical expenses, lost wages, rehab costs, and associated expenses when you are involved in an accident, regardless of who was at fault.
Why Do People Drive Without Insurance?
Below are some of the reasons why some people drive without insurance:
Cost
The most common reason why people drive without insurance is the cost. Many people claim they can’t afford insurance. In truth, insurance isn’t exactly cheap, but the problem is that it’s potentially more expensive to drive without insurance than to drive with one. If you get into an accident, you’ll have to pay for repairs and medical bills, yours and that of any other party involved, out of your pocket. We don’t think we really have to talk about how expensive that can be.
Now, let’s put aside the part where you get into an accident. Car insurance is a legal requirement, and you are breaking the rules by not having one. If you are caught, accept steep fines and the possibility of losing your driving license.
The Folly of Youth
Youth is such an exciting phase in life, but it’s not without its own folly. Many young people don’t have insurance because they feel there’s no real reason for it. They’ve not experienced life or being in an accident where they have to pay for expensive repairs and medical bills. They feel invisible, and car insurance isn’t high on their list of priorities.
Rather Pay The Fine
Some people aren’t careless, they aren’t uniformed, yet choose not to have car insurance. To them, it’s all about the cost of being insured and the cost of paying fines if they are caught. And they feel it’s more affordable to pay fines than to have insurance. But this isn’t always true.
Some States like Massachusetts have such steep fines for driving without insurance that the fine can pay for a full year of premium insurance. Your driving license may be suspended for months or even a year, and there’s usually a fee that comes with reinstating your license.
Jail time is also a real possibility if you are caught driving without a license or causing an accident while uninsured. Can you really know all this and think it’s cheaper to drive without a license?
The Other Party’s Insurance Will Cover It
Some people don’t have insurance because they believe that the other party involved in an accident with them is likely to have insurance. So, they take care of their own damages while the other party’s insurance gets them covered.
This thinking is incredibly selfish. Also, unless the other guy has uninsured motorist coverage, his insurance won’t cover any damages. Instead, the other party will be forced to take you to court to get you to pay for damages sustained in the accident.
We don’t have to spell it for you that court cases eat up money and time. Unless you want that in your future, you are better off getting insurance.
