An estimated 15.4% of U.S. drivers had no insurance in 2023, according to the Insurance Research Council. Add drivers whose coverage is too low to pay for the damage they cause, and the share rises to 33.4%, or 1 in 3.
If one of those drivers hits you, their policy limits do not set your bills. Your own policy does, and only if it includes the right line.
Where the odds are worst
The Insurance Research Council estimates the uninsured rate by comparing uninsured motorist claims to bodily injury claims, so state figures are estimates.
In 2023, the highest rates were in Mississippi at 28.2%, New Mexico at 24.1% and Washington, D.C., at 23.1%. Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida and California each topped 20%.
The lowest were Maine at 5.7%, Utah at 6.2% and Idaho at 6.4%.
Nationally, the uninsured estimate has risen from 11.6% in 2019 to 15.4% in 2023.
What the coverage does
Uninsured motorist coverage pays for injuries or damage caused by a driver without liability insurance or by a hit-and-run driver.
Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage pays costs that exceed the at-fault driver’s limits. Twenty states and Washington, D.C., require uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, or ...