The obligation to carry insurance is part of why vehicle ownership in Pennsylvania can be expensive for working-class adults and new drivers. People pay quite a bit to protect themselves against the liability that arises after a motor vehicle collision.
When someone damages your vehicle or injures you because they make bad choices at the wheel, you naturally expect to file a claim against their insurance coverage to fix your vehicle and pay your medical bills. Occasionally, those hurt in a crash go to make a claim only to discover that the driver to blame for the wreck doesn’t have insurance and therefore they don’t have any available coverage.
How likely are you to end up hurt by a driver without insurance in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania drivers are more responsible than most
Pennsylvania’s drivers are actually more responsible than those in much of the rest of the country. Only 6% of Pennsylvania drivers were out on the road without insurance in 2019, which puts it in 46th place for the number of uninsured drivers.
That’s one list where it’s actually a good thing to be near the bottom. Although you only have slightly more than a one in 20 chance of an uninsured driver being to blame for your crash, that’s still a risk you can’t ignore.
What happens after a crash with an uninsured driver?
If you are one of those unfortunate people affected by a collision that is the result of someone without insurance continuing to drive on the road, you may need to take legal action against the driver that caused the crash.
A personal injury lawsuit can help you recover the same expenses that insurance would pay for, provided that you can show the other driver violated the law or was negligent. Some drivers may also have the option of making a claim against their own insurance coverage if they paid for uninsured motorist protection.
In rare cases, there may be a third party with some liability for the crash, which is why carefully reviewing the circumstances of the wreck is often necessary for those worried about a lack of insurance coverage. Identifying and addressing common risk factors related to Pennsylvania motor vehicle collisions will protect those affected by the mistakes of others in traffic.