All but two states require car insurance, but a recent MarketWatch Guides study found that one in eight drivers (12.5%) were uninsured. It ranked the states with the highest rates of uninsured drivers, and none of them included the two states where insurance is optional.
Although not technically a state, the District of Columbia (DC) had the highest number of uninsured drivers at 25.2%. MarketWatch attributes some of these delinquencies to the region’s astronomical insurance costs, which average $644 for minimum liability coverage.
The rankings are from 2022, the most recent year for which data was available.
The top 10 states with the most uninsured drivers:
- District of Columbia: 25.2%
- New Mexico: 24.9%
- Mississippi: 22.2%
- Tennessee: 20.9%
- Michigan: 19.6%
- Kentucky: 18.7%
- Delaware: 18.1%
- Georgia: 18.1%
- Colorado: 17.5%
- Ohio: 17.1%
Although it ranked fifth on the list, Michigan had the highest average monthly and annual insurance costs at $134 and $1,604, respectively. Delaware, ranked No. 7 on the list, imposed the highest fines for the first offense of driving without insurance, with drivers potentially facing a six-month license suspension and a fine of up to $1,500.
New Hampshire and Virginia don’t require insurance, but the Live Free or Die state had one of the lowest rates of uninsured drivers at just 7.8%. Wyoming had the lowest number at 5.9% and Idaho was second at 6.2%, tied with Maine.
States with the fewest uninsured drivers:
- Wyoming, 5.9%
- Idaho, 6.2%
- Maine, 6.2%
- Utah, 7.3%
- Nebraska, 7.8%
- New Hampshire, 7.8%
- North Dakota, 7.9%
- Kansas, 8%
- South Dakota, 8%
- Minnesota, 8.7%
Although it’s scary to think about sharing the road with people who can’t or won’t get car insurance, the good news is that most major insurers offer car insurance without insurance – and as these numbers show, it is insurance that you should definitely take out. It can protect you if you are involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver and the other party is unable to pay for the damages or injuries you suffered in the accident. Many states also require uninsured/underinsured coverage, so there’s a good chance you already have it.
Other interesting findings:
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Delaware has the highest fines for uninsured drivers: $1,500 for the first offense and a six-month driver’s license suspension.
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Missouri’s fines are the most lenient. First-time offenders will be fined just $20. However, your driver’s license will be suspended until you provide proof of insurance.
- In Maryland, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut and South Dakota, you risk jail time if you drive without insurance. In Connecticut the maximum sentence is 5 years!