Drivers Without Car Insurance

Are you one of the 19.3% of people in Arkansas driving around without insurance? Unfortunately it’s pretty common although it makes us agents cringe to think about. According to the Insurance Research Council, in many states over 20% of drivers are on the road without car insurance. So what happens if you get hit by one of the uninsured motorists? Hopefully you have the right coverage.

Some states require uninsured motorist coverage.

Some states mandate that car owners have uninsured motorist coverage (UM), which pays for medical expenses if you or your passengers are injured in a crash with an uninsured driver or a hit-and-run driver, or if another driver’s insurance company denies coverage or goes out of business.

Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and funeral expenses. It also provides uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD), which helps repair your vehicle if it’s damaged by an uninsured driver or a motorist who doesn’t have enough liability coverage.

And if you are ever in an accident with an UM, here are some tips on what to do.

UM Coverage Requirements By State

State	Requirements for buying UM or being offered UM	Minimum UM coverage amount	Is uninsured motorist property damage coverage required? If so, minimum coverage amount.
Alabama	Must be offered	25/50	No
Alaska	Must be offered	50/100	You can reject UMPD in writing; $25,000 minimum if you buy it
Arizona	Must be offered	UM 25/50	No
Arkansas	UM must be offered. UIM must be offered if you buy UM.	UM – 25/50	You can reject UMPD in writing; $25,000 minimum if you buy it
California	Must be offered	15/30	You can reject UMPD coverage
Colorado	Must be offered	25/50	May be offered at your request
Connecticut	Must be offered	25/50	No
Delaware	Must be offered	25/50	Acceptance of UM includes UMPD; $5,000
District of Columbia	UM is required	UM – 25/50	Yes; $5,000
Florida	Must be offered	10/20	N/A
Georgia	Must be offered	25/50	Yes; $25,000
Hawaii	Must be offered	UM – 20/40	N/A
Idaho	Must be offered	UM – 25/50	N/A
Illinois	Required	UM – 25/50	UMPD must be offered if you do not have collision insurance (you can reject in writing); $15,000
Indiana	Must be offered	UM – 25/50 UIM – $50,000	You can reject UMPD; $10,000
Iowa	Must be offered	UM – 20/40	N/A
Kansas	Required	25/50	N/A
Kentucky	UM must be offered; UIM is available upon request	25/50 or a $60,000 single limit for both UM and UMPD	N/A
Louisiana	Must be offered	15/30	UMPD available but not required
Maine	Required	50/100	N/A
Maryland	Required	30/60	UMPD is required; $15,000
Massachusetts	Required	20/40	N/A
Michigan	No requirement	N/A	N/A
Minnesota	Required	UM – 25/50	N/A
Mississippi	Must be offered	25/50	UMPD can be rejected; $25,000 minimum if you buy it
Missouri	UM required	25/50	N/A
Montana	Must be offered	25/50	N/A
Nebraska	Required	UM – 25/50	N/A
Nevada	Must be offered	25/50	N/A
New Hampshire	Must be offered	25/50	Yes; $25,000
New Jersey	Required on standard policies	UM – 15/30	Yes; $5,000
New Mexico	Must be offered	25/50	Yes; $10,000
New York	UM required, UIM is optional	25/50 for injury, 50/100 for death	N/A
North Carolina	UM required. UIM required if UM coverage exceeds 30/60	UM – 30/60	Yes; $25,000
North Dakota	Required	25/50	N/A
Ohio	An insurer decides whether to offer it	25/50	Available upon your request, not to exceed $7,500
Oklahoma	Must be offered	25/50	N/A
Oregon	UM is required. UIM is required if UM coverage is more than 25/50	25/50	Yes; $20,000
Pennsylvania	Must be offered	15/30	N/A
Rhode Island	Must be offered	25/50	Not required but $25,000 minimum coverage if you buy it
South Carolina	UM is required	25/50	Yes; $25,000
South Dakota	Required	25/50	N/A
Tennessee	Must be offered	25/50 or a $60,000 single limit	Yes; $15,000
Texas	Must be offered	30/60	Yes; $25,000
Utah	Must be offered	25/65 for UM; 10/20 for UIM	Required if you do not have collision coverage
Vermont	Required	50/100	Yes; $10,000
Virginia	Required	30/60	Yes; $20,000
Washington	Must be offered	25/50	Required if you don’t have collision coverage, minimum of $10,000 in coverage
West Virginia	UM is required; UIM is optional	25/50	Yes; $10,000
Wisconsin	UM is mandatory	25/50 for UM; 50/100 for UIM	N/A
Wyoming	Must be offered	25/50	N/A

Source: American Property Casualty Insurance Association