State law in Wisconsin requires that all drivers carry insurance on their vehicles. You have to provide proof of insurance to register the vehicle and during any traffic stop. Your liability coverage helps protect people from property damage losses or injuries they suffer in a collision.
Typically, you would make a claim against the insurance of the driver who caused the crash if you get hurt or have major damage to your vehicle. However, the possibility exists for you to get into a wreck caused by someone without insurance.
Given the state mandate for coverage, you might assume that such collisions are incredibly rare. You follow the law and carry insurance on your vehicle, so you probably assume that everyone else does the same thing. Unfortunately, a significant number of drivers riding around on Wisconsin roads don’t have insurance to protect you if they cause a crash.
Thousands of Wisconsin drivers don’t have insurance on their vehicles
There may be many reasons why someone doesn’t have insurance. Some people lose their jobs and have to make difficult decisions about what bills they pay. Others might cancel their insurance policy on purpose because of how expensive it is.
Whether it was intentional or an accident, drivers letting their insurance lapse put everyone else at risk.
You have a greater than one in ten chance of getting into a crash with an uninsured driver based on the overall number of drivers who let their policies lapse. Wisconsin takes 19th in the ranking of uninsured driving rates where approximately 13.3% of drivers are uninsured.
What happens after a crash with an uninsured driver?
Obviously, you cannot make a claim against an insurance policy that does not exist. However, you might be able to make a claim against your own insurance policy. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, that protection can reimburse you for the losses that you suffer after the crash.
If you don’t have that coverage, then you may have no choice but to pursue a civil lawsuit against the uninsured driver. Identifying risk factors on the road can help you better protect yourself from the worst consequences of motor vehicle collisions.
