Insurance Verification Systems Could Protect Car Accident Victims from Uninsured Drivers
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Montlick & Associates understand that when you are involved in a motor vehicle collision while traveling the roadways of Atlanta, the surrounding metro counties, and throughout the state of Georgia, the hardships that you face may include intense pain, disability, medical expenses, insurance hassles and legal obstacles.
However, these challenges may be intensified when you are involved in a collision with an uninsured driver. Nearly one in six Georgia drivers is uninsured despite legal requirements that Georgia drivers maintain auto insurance. Georgia legislators should pay close attention to a new law in our neighboring state (Alabama) that implements an insurance verification system that began on January 1, 2013.
Although Georgia law requires drivers in our state to maintain insurance, car accident injury victims often face insurance disputes following collisions because there is no way to prove whether a driver has insurance. Insurance verification systems provide a mechanism for law enforcement at the scene of a car accident or a traffic stop to verify insurance in real time. Some drivers deceive law enforcement or car accident injury victims at the scene of a car crash by using fake insurance cards or discontinuing payments on insurance once they have paperwork showing an insurance policy.
Many Georgia car accident victims involved in collisions in Atlanta or elsewhere within the state discover that the other driver has no insurance or minimum coverage only after suffering serious injuries in a traffic accident. Under the verification policy being implemented by our neighboring state, drivers will not be allowed to register their vehicle unless it can be verified through the system that they have current auto insurance.
While it is premature to know if Georgia will adopt a similar position to protect insured drivers, the cost imposed by drivers who choose to disregard our state’s mandatory auto insurance law is enormous. Uninsured motorists in the United Sates cost those who comply with mandatory insurance requirements nearly $11 billion per year. These costs increase during periods of adverse economic conditions.
High rates of unemployment or underemployment correlate directly with the number of uninsured motorists. In many cases, drivers fail to comply with legal requirements regarding minimum liability auto insurance because they believe they cannot afford it. Ironically, drivers with poor driving histories that include prior accidents, DUIs or other traffic violations face the highest rates so they have the most incentive to ignore mandatory insurance coverage laws.
Because of the significant risk of being injured in an auto collision by an uninsured or under-insured driver in Georgia, it is important to review your insurance policies so that you can evaluate your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM coverage). UM/UIM coverage is optional insurance offered by your own insurance company that provides financial compensation for injuries incurred in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver. When you are involved in a collision with a driver who does not have insurance, UM/UIM coverage may provide coverage to for you, your family and other passengers in your vehicle. It can also provide coverage to you when a driver flees the scene of an accident and their identity is unknown.
Our Atlanta car accident lawyers at Montlick and Associates are available to represent those injured in auto accidents throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.