Everyone who wants to register a car in Washington first has to provide proof of insurance. The insurance coverage on your vehicle protects you from liability if you cause a crash. After all, a wreck can severely injure people or cause tens of thousands of dollars in property damage.
When you aren’t the one at fault for a crash, the other driver’s policy should pay for your losses. What happens when the other driver doesn’t have insurance?
Uninsured drivers are everywhere in Washington
You may find yourself in a difficult situation if you get struck by an uninsured driver in Washington because there won’t be a liability policy that applies to your injuries or property damage.
Washington is one of the worst states in the country for insurance coverage, ranked fifth in the nation for the number of uninsured drivers on the road. Based on figures from 2019, approximately 21.7% of drivers don’t have insurance. That’s more than one in five drivers.
What protects you from uninsured drivers?
If you paid for extra coverage on your own policy, such as uninsured motorist coverage, you could potentially file a claim against your policy after a crash even though you are not at fault.
You can potentially also file a civil lawsuit against the other driver. That may be a good option if you don’t have supplemental coverage on your own policy or you don’t want to risk your insurance rates increasing after the wreck. Knowing what steps to take to protect yourself after a car crash will minimize the negative effect it has on your life.
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