FAIRMONT —
Most of us can rattle off a long list of negative effects from the economic downturn — from devalued real estate to diminished 401(k)s.
But these days there is always room for one more.
The Insurance Research Council reports that with the recession, the number of uninsured drivers has been on the rise, and that increases the cost of auto accidents for everyone who pays for insurance. After declining for four straight years, the percentage of motorists with no insurance rose to 14.3 percent in 2008 and dropped slightly to 13.8 percent in 2009.
Because of the range of laws governing auto insurance, some states feel the impact more than others.
For example, the rate in West Virginia is lower that the national average at 11 percent. But tri-state drivers can’t take much comfort in that because the rates in Kentucky and Ohio are 18 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
In Mississippi, which has the highest rate of uninsured drivers at 28 percent, the state acknowledges that police have no way of telling whether a driver has insurance, USA Today reported earlier this month.
States in our region would do well to go to school on the tougher requirements in Massachusetts, Maine and New York, where the percentage of uninsured drivers is around 5 percent, even during hard times.
— The (Huntington) Herald-Dispatch
This editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Times West Virginian editorial board.
Opinion
Uninsured motorists are negative effect from recession
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Bill Stewart was indeed ‘special person’ as coach and off the field
