Someone once referred to motorists driving on the highway without insurance as “naked” drivers. Well, there’s a lot more of them driving on the roadway today than ever before and its only getting worse.
As of 2004, 14.6% of all the drivers on the road today don’t have automobile insurance according to the Insurance Research Council (IRC). So if you get hit by one of these drivers, instead of the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy covering the costs of the victim’s vehicle repairs and replacement rental car; it ends up being YOUR responsibility to pay for everything! What happens is that the responsible drivers who purchase insurance end up paying for injuries caused by uninsured drivers. Now that has really made me a defensive driver. And what I mean by defensive is protecting my family and vehicle from the damage they cause.
Not carrying auto insurance is against the law in most states but it happens more often than most people realize. The (IRC) reports that about one in seven at-fault drivers in a collision with another vehicle will be uninsured. The 5 States with the highest uninsured driver estimates were Mississippi (26%), Alabama (25%), California (25%), New Mexico (24%), and Arizona (22%).
According to Steve Cox, Vice President of the Council of Better Business Bureaus based in Arlington, VA, what happens to you after this type of accident can be upsetting and expensive. “Despite the fact that you are the victim, if an uninsured driver slams into your car, YOU are obligated to pay the deductible and YOUR auto insurance will be used to cover repairs.” Many drivers have to ‘Ad On’ uninsured, underinsured motorist and replacement rental car coverage to their auto insurance policy just to cover the naked drivers.
Since the most two most frequent vehicle accidents on the highway today are getting hit while parked and the rear end collision you can at least start protecting your family, vehicle and insurance from these drivers with a few aftermarket products. So how long will a typical rear end accident ‘lay you up’? Well, here are the averages: you’ll spend 35 minutes at the accident scene filling out forms; 78 minutes filling out forms after your accident; 4 hours getting repair estimates and 2 days without your car.
Uninsured drivers say a combination of lack of money, the necessity of driving, and feeling that insurance is one thing they can do without is usually what keeps them from stopping. When short on cash, most people would rather screw the insurance company. And the chances of going to jail are slim to none.
You can’t afford to let these drivers ruin your day, cripple your family, wreck your vehicle, steal your deductible or jeopardize your insurance! Don’t be victimized twice! You can take a proactive approach to this and protect your family, vehicle and insurance before the “auto body shops” get you or you can wait until it happens and wish you’d done something about it. There are products on the market today that will prevent a lot of this damage and with a $500 deductible or more it’s defiantly worth your time to try to find them.
Jeff is CEO of Mohr Mfg is an expert in rear end collisions. His company makes portable, energy absorbing, spare safety bumpers or “hitch steps” that install in seconds and protect your vehicle from rear-end collision damage, reduce whiplash injuries, shield your gas tank from under-ride and eliminate parking lot and parallel parking dents and dings. For additional information:
http://www.superbumper.com