Carrying motor vehicle liability insurance isn’t just a good decision. It is also a legal requirement for all vehicle owners. Georgia will not allow you to register a car without proof of insurance, and the first thing a police officer will ask you during a traffic stop or after a crash is to provide them with your proof of insurance and vehicle registration, along with your driver’s license.
Your coverage protects you from liability caused by a crash that the police decide is your fault. You have likely paid for insurance since you first got your license, and you may have never had cause to file a large claim. After experiencing a crash, you may finally need to make use of your insurance. Typically, the driver at fault for a wreck is the one whose coverage will pay for the collision-related expenses.
Do you have to worry about encountering a driver without insurance?
There are too many drivers without insurance in Georgia
Georgia has a relatively average amount of uninsured drivers, at least according to insurance industry data from 2019. Georgia was 23rd in the ranking of states with the most uninsured drivers. Approximately 12.4% of drivers do not have insurance, which is just under the national average uninsured motorist rate of 12.6%.
If you are unfortunate enough to get into a crash caused by one of these uninsured drivers, what happens then?
You can protect against uninsured motorists
Every driver in Georgia should have the option of purchasing uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage when buying or renewing their liability policies. When you realize that more than 12% of drivers don’t have coverage on their vehicle, you can easily see why adding uninsured motorist protection to your policy is a good decision. You can make a claim against your own coverage after a crash caused by an uninsured driver.
If you only realize the need for uninsured motorist coverage after getting hurt by an uninsured driver, you still have legal protection. You can potentially take a driver to civil court when they don’t have insurance and they cause a wreck. Uninsured motorist insurance claims or civil lawsuits will require patience and an understanding of the Georgia legal system, but when successful, such claims can fully compensate you for the cost of a crash that you did not cause.
Knowing your rights and statistical risks can help you make better decisions for your own protection.