One of the worst accident scenarios for any injured victim is being involved in a mishap with an uninsured driver. Even though Oklahoma law requires vehicle owners to maintain liability insurance on their personal mode of transportation, many owners still drive with no insurance coverage. Additionally, many residents who do carry liability insurance have minimum protection levels. This means that auto accident victims in Oklahoma often must look for as many avenues of financial compensation as possible to recover damages when they have serious injuries. This can also include using their own personal auto policy if they have an uninsured/underinsured policy rider.
Pursuing damages from an uninsured driver
Drivers in Oklahoma are still liable for damages when they cause an auto accident even if they do not have liability auto insurance. Statistics show that 1 in 9 Oklahoma motorists are not insured and cause many collisions within the state. Drivers who are largely at fault for an accident can still be sued personally for damages, which could result in property attachment or wage garnishment in some cases.
Potential personal policy coverage
With the knowledge that nearly 10% of motorists in Oklahoma are not insured, many residents opt to include uninsured/underinsured motorist additions to the personal auto policies. While protection can still be limited, this can provide a primary source of funding for financial recovery when being involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.
When coupled with the fact that Oklahoma is a “tort” fault state, it is clear that drivers in the state should carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on their personal policy for added protection. Injured victims are in a much better situation to have additional protection and not need it as opposed to not having it when in a car accident.