Stands for You special report: ‘Uninsured Drivers’
There’s a danger on California roadways, and it’s a threat you can’t spot while behind the wheel.
Its uninsured drivers, and in growing numbers, they’re involved in accidents, inflicting physical, financial and emotional damage on drivers whose cars they hit.
Charles Hayden of Indian Wells talked about an accident in which his car was hit by an uninsured driver.
“All of a sudden. I felt my car being pushed forward into the car ahead of me,” said Hayden.
His 2006 Lexus LS 430 was hit from behind, while he was driving on the 91 freeway in Anaheim. Thankfully, Hayden was not injured, but the car sustained $12,000 in damage.
“I take it in for repairs, it’s in the shop for like four weeks, and I’m in a rental car,” said Hayden.
Unfortunately, Hayden is not alone in his experience. The number of reported accidents involving uninsured drivers in California, last year alone, was 85,409.
That is more than double the total reported in 2013.
That means, when considering all reported accidents on California roads in 2017, nearly 18 percent involved uninsured drivers. The numbers are based on preliminary data from the California Highway Patrol.
According to the Insurance Research Council, 15.2 percent of California drivers don’t have insurance.
That is nearly one in seven drivers, which is slightly higher than the national average.
Consumer advocates say in some cases, motorists don’t have insurance because they can’t afford it.
Sometimes a driver will buy a policy and will quickly stop making payments once they receive proof of insurance.
“Its always something that we have top of mind, trying to work on, and get more people to be insured,” said Janet Ruiz, a spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute.
Those who do have car insurance are paying the price for those who don’t.
Insurance companies tack on about $70 a year to the average premium in the U.S., to help make up for losses caused by those driving without coverage, or with insufficient coverage.
“Its unfortunate that because some won’t insure themselves, the rest of us have to pay for that,” said Ruiz.
To protect yourself, you should buy “uninsured motorist” and “underinsured motorist” coverage.
You are not required to buy it in Calfornia. But, insurance providers are required to offer it.
It stands in the place of the other person’s missing or insufficient liability coverage, if they’re at fault. Generally. the cost of adding this to your policy, depends on the what you drive, and the limits you select.
But, its around $75 to $100 a year.
Hayden has it.
But, there is something else he wants.
“I think if we had more traffic enforcement, police officers, writing more tickets, they would ferret out more of these people who don’t have insurance,” said Hayden.
Penalties for Californians caught driving without insurance range anywhere from $100 to $200 for first-time offenders, and $500 for additional offenses.
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