A Growing Problem: Drivers Without Car Insurance

Rose Roper said she has finally resolved issues over a wreck she and her daughter had in March 2006. She was hit a car whose driver was without insurance.

Authorities expect that kind of problem to increase as more people drop their insurance coverage in a bad economy.

Roper said the situation surrounding their accident wasn't settled until she hired an attorney.

"We had to pay out of pocket and then had to use an attorney to get our money back," said the Muscle Shoals resident. "Insurance is expensive, but I'm glad I had full coverage. I don't know what I would have done without it."

John Heid, an official with Allstate Insurance in Atlanta, said that in 2007, 26 percent of Alabama drivers were uninsured.

"It stands to reason that the increase in the percentage of uninsured drivers will result in a greater likelihood that if you're involved in an auto accident, it will be with someone who has no auto insurance," Heid said.

Alabama is among 49 states that require drivers to carry insurance, and it requires drivers to have at least liability insurance.

Still, uninsured drivers are a problem.

"We continue to write citations for no insurance," said Florence police Lt. Tony Barnett.

Carolyn Gorman, an official with the Insurance Information Institute in New York, said the problem is not limited to a few states.

"It's a national problem and one that is growing," he said.

Officials with the Insurance Research Council noted that in 2007, 13.8 percent of drivers nationwide had no car insurance. That percentage is expected to increase to 16 or higher by 2010.

Gorman said research reveals that several hundred thousand motorists are expected to drop their insurance as the unemployment rate climbs.

In a recent study by Direct General, a Nashville-based automobile insurance provider, 36 percent of drivers say they will continue to drive even if they are unable to keep their car insurance.

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