Many people are taking the risk of driving uninsured these days so now might be a good time to analyze the risk versus reward of driving without insurance. A good place to start is to examine the reasons that people are doing this. The biggest reason is likely cost. Insurance premiums cost money and a lot of people don’t have that much extra cash these days so they stop paying. Your insurance policy lapses when you stop paying your premium. There is usually a grace period, however, there is not always one and the time periods are different so this is not a guarantee. There are also people who try to take advantage of the grace period. They send their payment late but still within the grace period each month therefore prolonging their payment. This is not a good idea because the insurance companies know that people do this and they look out for it. You may miss the time period by a day due to mail or whatever the reason may be and be driving uninsured and not even know it.
Another reason that people drive uninsured is that they think the probability that driving uninsured will have any effect on them is small. However, automobile accidents are on the rise as there are more and more drivers on the road and more and more incidences of drunk driving. There are more drivers on the road because our population is increasing quickly. There are more drunk drivers on the road today because of the state of the economy. People want to forget about their financial problems so they numb themselves with alcohol. Of course, people don’t make the best judges in such a state and so they make wrong choices: they get in a car and drive home instead of taking a cab or calling a friend to come and pick them up.
We could go on and on about the various reasons people drive without insurance but the fact of the matter is it is extremely risky and the potential effect that it could have on them is not worth the risk. If you are still thinking about driving uninsured I urge you to reconsider. You could be sued personally for all the medical bills, pain and suffering, property damage, and lost wages. This might not sound like much but let’s consider the cost of the average medical bills for a minor car accident.
Ambulance $1,500
ER Visit $5,000
Therapy $5,000
M.D. Visit $1,500
TOTAL $13,00
Of course, that is just for the medical bills, you will be paying for a lot more than that.
Proposition 213
If you are driving without insurance and you are hit by someone else you should not be under the belief that you have just hit the lottery. Proposition 213 was enacted to prevent uninsured drivers from profiting from an accident when someone else is at fault. It is meant to deter people from driving without insurance. The problem is that most people don’t know about it or have forgotten about it. In such cases you will only be able to get your medical bills paid and possibly recover for your lost wages. This is yet another reason to drive with insurance. Please drive safe and drive with insurance for all the right reasons.
