Mike Blanche wrote:Some states don't require insurance. It wasn't all that long ago that it
was not illegal to drive in Texas without insurance it was only illegal to have an accident without insurance.
Well now this doesn't make a damn bit of sense....
Well, technically it did make sense. If you can afford to pay any accident claim out of pocket (say, you won the lottery last week), then insurance is a moot point. In the days I was talking about, if you had an accident and didn't have insurance, you had to post an immediate surety bond. Finally, the state decided requiring insurance was the better way. However, probably something like 25% of all drivers in Texas don't have insurance. The buy it long enough to get the car registered, then let it lapse. Or they steal the plates off another car. Or they don't have any plates. Or they have the plates that the seller left on the car. In this state, you'd better have uninsured/underinsured coverage.
In Massachusetts, if your insurance lapses, you'll get a knock on the door from the state trooper there to pick up your plates. So, there's a wide lattitude of policies and laws around the country.
I remember the days Mike was referring to - you didn't have to have insurance but did have to be able to pay accident costs - I suppose that most drivers who didn't have insurance either couldn't afford it or just didn't care and they wouldn't be able to pay in the event of an accident. Although insurance is required in Alabama I'm sure there are many drivers who don't have it. You don't have to have proof of insurance to register a vehicle - only to verify it by your signature on the registration. I don't think they have any way to track down uninsured drivers like they do in Massachusetts and the only way they are found out is if they are in an accident. I was hit by an uninsured driver about 15 years ago and my insurance company paid under my uninsured coverage. My agent said they would go to court to recoup their cost in these instances and were successful in my case. I think now an uninsured driver is subject to a citation if they are involved in an accident with a police report.
