There was an increase in the percentage of uninsured motorists nationally from 12.7 percent in 1999 to 14.6 percent in 2004. That is not a great reflection of us drivers in this country. Interestingly the percentages of uninsured motorists varied widely from state to state.
The IRC found the discrepancies were from 4 percent in Maine to as high as 26 percent in Mississippi. The top five in descending order were Mississippi, Alabama, California, New Mexico and Arizona. The only common thread I can think of between those states is they are all either border-states or border the ocean.
Interestingly the five states with the lowest uninsured driver percentages in ascending order were Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and Nebraska. All of those states border each other except for Nebraska, the loner.
The IRC “estimates the uninsured driver population using a ratio of insurance claims made by individuals who were injured by uninsured drivers to claims made by individuals who were injured by insured drivers.”
If you live in any of the lowest percentage states can you shed any light as to why your states have so many insured drivers?
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