What Do I Do If The Other Driver Does Not Have Car Insurance?

Do I Need to Notify the DMV If My Car Is Totaled in California

Every state in the U.S. except New Hampshire requires drivers to carry auto insurance. In many states, there are additional regulations about minimum coverage amounts. Yet, many drivers don’t carry current auto insurance. Some estimates say that one in seven drivers don’t have insurance even though they are supposed to. If you are involved in a vehicle accident with an uninsured motorist, what should you do?

Why Don’t Drivers Have Insurance?

There are many reasons why some drivers don’t have auto insurance, even though it’s required. Some drivers simply shirk the law. They don’t care enough about themselves or others to obey state laws. Others let auto insurance lapse due to financial or other issues. Whatever the reason, the issue is very serious if you get into an accident with an uninsured driver.

Don’t Take Money

First off, don’t accept any cash from the other driver. They may offer to give you cash to take care of your damages so that you don’t report them to the authorities. The problem with this is that it’s illegal. In addition, you may have additional damages that are not discernible immediately following an accident. For instance personal injuries after an auto accident sometimes don’t present themselves due to shock or confusion. If you take money from the other driver, you are implicating yourself in an illegal transaction as well as losing your right to pursue personal injury claims.

Don’t Discuss Blame

Don’t engage in any kind of discussion about who was to blame for the accident. Anything you say could be construed as your accepting blame, which could hurt your chances in a personal injury claim. If the other party keeps trying to discuss how the accident happened, simply ignore that line of conversation and make yourself busy calling the authorities to come and take a report.

Take Photos of the Accident Scene

Uninsured motorists often try to drive off in order to escape prosecution. If they succeed, you could have a very difficult time finding them. However, if you take photos of the accident scene, including the license number of the other vehicle, you protect yourself in the event that they try to elude police. Photos like these may also help your car accident attorney in Los Angeles to build your personal injury case.

Get Uninsured Motorist Coverage

It doesn’t seem fair that you should have to take out additional vehicle insurance just because others aren’t willing to shoulder their share of responsible driving. However, uninsured motorist coverage is available for this exact scenario, and it does behoove you to cover yourself in this way. Ask your insurance agent about adding uninsured motorist insurance. If you already have it, you can begin a claim, but don’t do so before speaking to a qualified Los Angeles personal injury attorney. Your personal injury lawyer can handle all the work involved in getting you compensation through your uninsured motorist coverall.

If you’ve been involved in an auto accident with an irresponsible driver who has no vehicle insurance, call The Law Offices of Jacob Emrani right away. You may not have to be a victim of an uninsured motorist.  Call today to find out your chances of getting fair compensation.

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