Uninsured drivers put everyone else at risk by failing to keep active liability coverage on their vehicles. The whole point of insurance is to reduce someone’s liability if they cause a crash by providing a form of compensation for the people affected. Connecticut has laws requiring both property damage and bodily injury liability protection.
Despite the insurance requirements established by the state, there are still many crashes that occur because someone without insurance made a mistake in traffic. Connecticut does a great job of inspiring drivers to maintain insurance coverage. It has one of the lowest rates of uninsured drivers based on 2019 data, with only 6.3% of drivers letting their policies lapse.
While the risk might be lower than in other states, it is still reason for concern. What happens after a crash caused by a driver without insurance?
The other driver may have protected themselves
It is too late to change insurance coverage after a crash occurs, but some people will already have special protection added to their policies that will cover their losses. Those with uninsured motorist protection can file a claim against their own coverage.
They may need to gather evidence for their claim, such as a police report that shows that they were not at fault and that the driver to blame for the wreck did not have an active insurance policy. Uninsured motorist protection is also beneficial for those involved in a hit-and-run crash, as it can compensate them even if police officers never track down the person who caused the collision.
The case may go to civil court
Unfortunately, not everyone protects themselves with specialized insurance ahead of time before a crash occurs. Thankfully, Connecticut state law still protects the rights of those harms in crashes caused by someone without insurance.
They have the option of pursuing a personal injury claim if they can show that either illegal behavior in traffic or obvious negligence contributed to the collision. Sadly, many people have few options but to accept higher insurance costs themselves because other people don’t always make responsible choices.
Learning more about insurance rules and statistics can help those responding to a recent crash caused by an uninsured driver better protect themselves.