Gauging the cost of uninsured drivers
By Corey Friedman, The Wilson Daily Times, N.C. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"It doesn't seem fair to me, but I didn't have no other choice," Pender said. "I think if someone hits your car, they should be liable to fix it whether they have insurance or not."
Pender was waiting for his son outside the
"I talked to the driver, and then I called the police," Pender said. "She was sorry, but she didn't have enough money to pay for the repair. She didn't want to deal with the police, she just wanted to settle it."
POLICE: NO CHARGES
When police arrived, an officer told Pender that Maria did not have her driver's license. Because the fender-bender happened in a parking lot, police did not write her a citation.
"You do not have to have a driver's license to operate a vehicle in a public vehicular area or parking lot,"
A
"When we left the parking lot, we were led to believe she had insurance," said Pender's wife,
Maria could not be cited for driving without insurance because she isn't the car's registered owner, police explained.
"In
"It's not fair to us,"
The Penders said they're frustrated with the legal loopholes that prevented police from holding Maria accountable and left them with the repair bill.
"He had to go by the law,"
A NATIONAL HEADACHE
Uninsured drivers create a headache for insurance companies and their customers, said
"It's a thorn in the side of the consumer," Finklea said. "They didn't do anything wrong. They're not at fault and they have to go through filing the uninsured motorist claim with their insurance."
Finklea said he gets regular reports of customers whose cars were damaged by an uninsured driver.
"We get them all the time, unfortunately," he said. "It goes in spurts. We'll get two or three a week and then we'll go a month or three weeks before it happens again."
Since the
"What happens is people don't pay their premium, then they get in an accident," he said. "Even though it's compulsory, people still drive without insurance. It's against the law, but they do it."
Finklea urges his customers to always insist on a police report when their car is damaged in a wreck.
"No. 1 is always call the police," he said. "If someone tells you they'd rather handle it without calling the police, that should throw up a red flag that something's wrong, that they don't have insurance or have a suspended license. Don't let anybody leave without trying to get their driver's license number and license plate number."
Drivers who can't get the uninsured party to pay can file an uninsured motorist claim with their own insurance company. Finklea said those claims typically carry a
State law requires uninsured motorist coverage as part of the minimum policy limits, according to the
Uninsured drivers increase the cost of insurance for those who follow the law.
The nonprofit research group said an estimated 13.8 percent of U.S. drivers were uninsured in 2009.
"We're paying for her mistake," Pender said. "She didn't do it intentionally, I understand that. But she could have at least picked up the phone and said she was sorry."
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