A growing number of uninsured drivers are on today’s roads

Missouri Auto InsuranceData from the Missouri Department of Revenue has shown that between July of 2010 and the same month of 2011, that state experienced over 6,000 collisions involving drivers who are not insured, and this figure continues to grow.

That data is representative of a trend that is happening in many areas across the country. As is that reported by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which showed that there were over 22,000 citations for failure to provide proof of automobile insurance – a legal requirement in the state – in 2010.

This type of event can be exceptionally costly for a driver. The result can be fines, suspension of a license, a revoked license, and the added requirement to purchase auto insurance coverage anyway.

According to Sergeant Brent Bernhardt from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, “In a time of economic depression that we’re going through, many people feel that’s just something that they don’t need.” However, he went on to say that having insurance coverage is a vital protection for all road users. Though nobody wants to ever have to use it, it is very important to have it when it’s needed.

What’s worse is that the growing number of people who are uninsured is also leading to a rise in the number of occurrences of hit-and-run. In fact, in La Cruces, New Mexico, one quarter of all car accidents results in a hit-and-run scenario. The Insurance Research Council’s data shows that in that state, over one in every four drivers (26 percent) were uninsured in 2009, and that this fact may explain why so many drivers leave the scene of an accident.

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