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Oklahoma Rates Fourth Worst in the Nation for Uninsured Motorists

Insurance in an Economic Crisis

The Insurance Research Council recently released a study analyzing the nation’s statistics for uninsured motorists throughout the country. According to the study, Oklahoma is among the worst rated states, with 24 percent- or one in four drivers- hitting the roads without insurance.

Ranking just above Mississippi (28 percent), New Mexico (26 percent) and Alabama (26 percent), Oklahoma’s ratio for uninsured motorists experienced a steep increase from 15 percent on the previous survey in 2003.

In light of the current economic crisis, experts believe that by 2010 up to 16 percent of drivers nationwide will be driving without insurance. The report showed that there is a direct relationship between the increasing uninsured motorist rates and the increasing unemployment rates.

Uninsured Motorist Protection

As the nation watches unemployment rates jump to all time highs around the country, so too does the number of drivers without insurance.

How can drivers protect themselves from the risk of having an accident with one of these uninsured motorists? Many insurance agents will recommend all their clients purchase Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage, even though it is not required in most states.

This small addition to a policy will more than pay for itself in the event of a single accident with an uninsured motorist by paying for bodily injuries incurred by the policy holder or passengers. Uninsured Motorist coverage may also extend to covered pedestrians or policyholders and their families traveling in other vehicles.

Independent agent Paul Steiner of Family Insurance explains “Uninsured motorist coverage also covers loss of time (including lost wages from work), pain, misery and suffering.”

The Best Course of Action

How should Oklahomans react to the Insurance Research Council’s study?
Authorities are finding new ways to catch uninsured drivers, including passing a law in 2006 which allows the use of use an electronic database run by the Department of Public Safety to look up violators. Anyone who is currently uninsured should take heart and visit their local insurance office today.

Those who are already insured may want to speak to their current insurance agent about adding Uninsured Motorist coverage to their policies. In light of Oklahoma’s one-in-four ratio, Nicole Mahrt of the American Insurance Association says “You probably can’t afford to drive without it.”

By Brittany Fitzgerald