All however two states require that drivers have automobile insurance coverage, but a latest MarketWatch Guides research discovered that one in eight drivers (12.5%) had been uninsured. It ranked the states with the best percentages of uninsured drivers, and none of them included the 2 the place insurance coverage is optionally available.
Although not technically a state, the District of Columbia (D.C.) had essentially the most uninsured drivers, with 25.2% missing protection. MarketWatch attributes a few of that delinquency to the astronomical insurance coverage prices within the area, which averages $644 for minimum-liability protection.
The rankings are from 2022, the newest yr for which knowledge was accessible.
The highest 10 states with essentially the most uninsured drivers:
- District of Columbia: 25.2%
- New Mexico: 24.9%
- Mississippi: 22.2%
- Tennessee: 20.9%
- Michigan: 19.6%
- Kentucky: 18.7%
- Delaware: 18.1%
- Georgia: 18.1%
- Colorado: 17.5%
- Ohio: 17.1%
Although it landed fifth on the record, Michigan had the best common month-to-month and annual insurance coverage prices, at $134 and $1,604, respectively. Delaware, at No. 7 on the record, had the most important fines for a primary offense of driving with out insurance coverage, with drivers doubtlessly receiving a six-month license suspension and a high-quality of as much as $1,500.
Insurance coverage will not be required in New Hampshire and Virginia, however the “Live Free or Die” state had one of many lowest numbers of uninsured drivers, with simply 7.8% driving with out protection. Wyoming had the smallest quantity at 5.9%, and Idaho was second, tied with Maine at 6.2 %.
States with the fewest uninsured drivers:
- Wyoming, 5.9%
- Idaho, 6.2%
- Maine, 6.2%
- Utah, 7.3%
- Nebraska, 7.8%
- New Hampshire, 7.8%
- North Dakota, 7.9%
- Kansas, 8%
- South Dakota, 8%
- Minnesota, 8.7%
Although it’s scary to consider sharing the street with individuals who can’t or received’t get automobile insurance coverage, the excellent news is that the majority main insurers provide uninsured motorist protection — and as these numbers point out, it is protection you would be smart to have. It may possibly shield you when you’re concerned in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver and the opposite social gathering can’t pay for the damages or accidents you sustained within the crash. Uninsured/underinsured protection can be required in lots of states, so there’s likelihood you have already got it.
Different fascinating findings:
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Delaware has the best fines for uninsured drivers — $1,500 for a primary offense, and a six-month license suspension.
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Missouri’s fines are essentially the most lenient, with first offenders fined simply $20, although your license can be suspended till you present proof of insurance coverage.
- In Maryland, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, and South Dakota, you danger jail time for driving with out insurance coverage. In Connecticut, the utmost sentence is 5 years!