Everybody Pays for Uninsured Drivers
Tough economic conditions make everybody a bit more of a cheapskate. But there’s cheap and there’s cheap – as in no-auto–insurance coverage. Most drivers in San Jose, as in other places, are law-abiding about matters as basic as required insurance. But an unfortunate number of people think they can save a few bucks by skirting the law. And everybody else pays the price.
California law requires every single driver to carry a minimal amount of liability insurance to cover injury and property damage costs in the event of an accident. Many drivers in San Jose – rightly assuming that basic coverage often isn’t sufficient to pay for damages, medical, and other costs associated with a serious accident – choose to carry more than just the minimum required by the state. But many others don’t carry even that much.
A recent study by an auto insurance think-tank found that about one out of every seven drivers doesn’t have a basic liability policy. That means that your chances of getting in a collision with an uninsure driver in San Jose are statistically significant enough to warrant buying a policy that includes uninsured motorist coverage. If you don’t have it, you’ll end up paying all of the costs for an accident even when you’re not at fault because liability only covers accidents that are a result of your actions. Collision coverage pays for damages if there’s an accident with an uninsured driver, but it won’t pay for medical costs. If your car is totaled, and you need to rent one until the repairs are completed, you’ll be stuck with those costs, as well, unless you add rental insurance to your policy.
But uninsured drivers don’t just create headaches for the unfortunate victims of their accidents. They drive up rates for everybody because somebody has to pay for the claim when an uninsured driver crashes into an insured one. Higher rates for everybody is one way the insurance industry protects itself from the number of uninsured motorist claims. It’s something to think about when you wonder about why cheap insurance can be tough to find. Unfortunately, there’s little to be done. Uninsured drivers face stiff penalties if they’re caught after a collision, but that won’t help an insured motorist pay for his medical bills and vehicle repair.
The moral of the story is that driving in San Jose, like many forms of transportation, can be as hazardous to your pocketbook as it is to your health. Drivers who are too cheap or irresponsible to buy auto insurance as required by law are an unfortunate and irritating fact of life. Look out for yourself by practicing good defensive driving techniques, and make sure that your own insurance coverage is sufficient to protect you from the scofflaws.
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