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Insurance companies do their best to diminish, at least in the mind of the public, the status of the driver that has failed to purchase a car insurance policy. Still, the average driver does not always focus on the threat posed by the uninsured drivers on the road.
States’ laws concerning uninsured motorists:
Some states insist that consumers owning any type of vehicle buy an automobile insurance policy with an uninsured motorist clause. In other states, consumers have been provided with the option of paying for such coverage, a policy with a clause that offers protection against uninsured drivers.
What happens if a driver without a policy gets injured in an accident, but did not cause that same accident?
The fact that the driver was not responsible for the injury-causing incident creates problems, if the company insuring the other driver gets asked to pay for the uninsured driver’s injuries. True, it must cover the medical expenses, but not necessarily any damage or the effects from any injury. To begin with, the court does not ask the other driver’s insurer to finance any awards for pain and suffering, if those same awards would have gone to the driver that had failed to pay for proper coverage.
In addition, the Injury Lawyer in Stouffville knows that the person that had tried to save money by doing without any car insurance may become responsible for any and all damage done to any of the involved vehicles. That consequence is not suffered by all uninsured drivers, just those in specific states. In those states, the drivers’ liability for damages to other vehicles has not been capped, if those same motorists have remained uninsured.
Possible punishments for uninsured driver that fails to pay for damages:
Someone that struggles to pay for car insurance might also lack the funds needed to pay for the damages that resulted from an accident. How does the legal system handle such actions, when they were done by someone that has already broken the law?
The government might elect to garnish the wages of the driver that has failed to pay for the damages. Of course, that approach only works if the uninsured motorist has chosen to hold down a job. Admittedly, that same approach would not punish the unemployed man or woman that goes out on joy ride, while knowing that he or she does not have any insurance coverage.
Alternately, the government might order the sale of all or part of the same driver’s property. Finally, the government might suspend the license held by the uninsured driver. A court would probably determine the length of that suspension. In making that determination, the court would almost certainly take a good long look at the motorist’s record.