Similar to other states, California has minimum insurance requirements for operating a vehicle on the road in the event of a car accident. Despite this law, California ranks 12th in the nation with an estimated 15.2% of drivers being uninsured. This would mean that there are 4.1 million uninsured drivers in the state alone.
Sacramento Car Accidents with Uninsured Drivers
While the overwhelming majority of California drivers carry insurance, there is still a 15% chance that a wreck will be with someone who doesn’t have any. This is why we always recommend carrying uninsured/undersinsured (UM/UIM) motorist coverage.
Uninsured motorist coverage is an additional coverage that is the same limits as your own policy, but covers you when the at fault party doesn’t have insurance. By law, the insurance company is required to offer this to you when you go to buy a policy.
If you’re hit by an uninsured driver, you will make a UM claim with your own insurance policy.
Does filing a claim with my own insurance raise my rates?
Many people believe that filing a UM claim with their own insurance will get their rates raised or dropped by their insurer. This makes sense because when someone causes an accident that’s generally what happens. But under California law, insurance companies are not allowed to raise rates or drop a person for a UM claim. Simply put, this means that you can’t be penalized for asking your insurance company to cover this type of claim.
And this makes sense. As a driver, you followed the law and the negligence of an uninsured driver caused personal injury resulting in medical bills, missed time from work, pain and suffering , and other damages.
What to do if you’re hit by someone without insurance
There are typically a few things that can happen in this instance. Because the driver doesn’t have insurance, they may do a hit and run. They may be upfront they don’t have insurance or they may try to get you not to go through insurance and they’ll “take care of it.”
The best thing to do after a Sacramento car accident is to notify the authorities—especially if someone needs immediate medical care. The police will be able to diffuse any potential issues with the other driver and determine whether they’re insured or not. If the other driver isn’t forthcoming about their insurance information with you, you’ll be able to get everything you need from the police report.
Car accident attorneys and uninsured motorist claims
If you’ve never been through a claims process with your insurance company, it can be intimidating. And although your own insurance can’t raise your rates or drop you, insurance companies use many different tricks that they use to deny or devalue personal injury claims. This is true whether it’s your own insurance or the at-fault drivers.
The best Sacramento personal injury attorneys make help you through this process. It’s bad enough you were in a car accident. But being hit by someone who is uninsured can just make things even more of a headache.
If you’ve been hit by someone without insurance, don’t listen to the myths about personal injury lawyers or make mistakes that can hurt your claim. We offer free and friendly advice on how to maximize your car accident injury claim.
Call us today for a free case evaluation at (916) 619-5452 or fill out our form on our website. There is no cost to speak with us and we don’t get paid until you win!
