The Importance Of Carrying Uninsured Motorist Insurance
Posted on Jun 5, 2013 8:00am PDT
You probably already know that in the state of Georgia you have to carry liability insurance. You may also be aware that in 2008 Georgia codified the right to waive Uninsured Motorist insurance. For those of you that don't know, Uninsured Motorist insurance functions exactly as it sounds. It is designed to protect you when you get into a car accident with someone who doesn't have the state minimum required level of insurance. Since liability insurance is required in Georgia, we shouldn't need to carry Uninsured Motorist insurance right? Well, not exactly.
According to a study done by the insurance research counsel, in 2009, 16% of all drivers in the state of Georgia drive without insurance. According to the same study, that rate can vary from state to state from 4% all the way up to 28%. This means that there are a whole lot of drivers on the road without insurance, and that if you are in an accident there is more than a 1 in 7 chance that the motorist could be uninsured.
Just because it's Georgia law to carry liability insurance doesn't mean that everyone does. When you get into a car wreck the last thing you need to worry about is whether or not the other driver has insurance. Unfortunately this often becomes a nasty reality that people have to deal with. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.