Data finds that 1 in 4 drivers in West TN are uninsured

JACKSON, Tenn. — Uninsured drivers are a serious issue in West Tennessee. Every day millions of West Tennesseans are on the road, and many of them lack insurance policies.

On average, 1 in 4 drivers in West Tennessee are uninsured.

This means that if you get in a wreck, there is a high chance that the other driver has no way of covering your damages.

“According to the most current data, Tennessee ranks 3rd in the country with the number of uninsured or underinsured drivers, and so the problem that we have in west tennessee specifically, that about 1 in 4 drivers on the road today do not have insurance or they don’t have adequate insurance to protect them in case they are at fault in an accident,” said Wes Harris, insurance agent with State Farm.

The national average of uninsured motorists is about 13-14%, whereas Tennessee’s average is approximately 21-23%.

“Last year, I paid out over $250,000 in uninsured motorists claims, right? And so, that’s having to provide coverage for my customers that we shouldn’t have had because the other party didn’t have insurance, so that affects everybody’s rates, and so, everybody else that has insurance has to bear the burden and carry the cost for those that do not have insurance,” said Harris.

These situations can leave victims in a financial nightmare from covering repairs, damages and even possible medical bills.

“So, how do we fix it right? I think people need to realize that just getting liability insurance is not terribly expensive, and so, I would encourage people that do not have insurance is to just call around and get some quotes just to see how much liability costs because they might be surprised that it is not as expensive as they think it is,” said Harris.

You can check with your insurance agent for an uninsured and underinsured motorists coverage option.

For more local news, click here.