Technically, Illinois car insurance is mandatory for you to drive legally. You have to maintain coverage on your vehicle to reimburse others for the costs created if you are at fault for a crash. There is a minimum amount of insurance required, and you may have invested in far more than that.
After all, you don’t want to be personally liable for the cost to fix someone’s vehicle or their hospital bills. Your liability coverage helps protect you from those expenses if you are the one at fault for a wreck. The problem with the Illinois approach to car insurance is that you must rely on someone else’s coverage to pay your expenses.
Just like someone else can cause a crash despite your best effort to follow all traffic laws, you could also end up struggling with huge unpaid expenses after a crash when the person to blame doesn’t have insurance as they should. What happens when an uninsured driver smashes into you?
Your own insurance coverage can help
Many drivers in Illinois choose to carry uninsured motorist protection on their policies. They recognize that the possibility of encountering an uninsured driver is a serious financial concern, and so they add extra coverage to their own policy just in case they ever need protection.
As of 2019, the most recent year with an analysis available, roughly 11.8% of drivers in Illinois were uninsured at any given time. For someone who has not experienced a wreck yet, this coverage could be a very smart investment.
You can take the driver to court
Civil lawsuits are often the best solution following a motor vehicle collision caused by an uninsured driver. If you were to make a claim against your own policy, you will unfortunately likely experience an increase in your premium afterward.
The best way to have the other party pay as they should may require that you take them to court because they failed to carry the insurance required by law. Occasionally, drivers may even need to look into lawsuits against a third party, such as someone’s employer or a vehicle manufacturer.
A thorough evaluation of liability and insurance coverage, as well as alternate options for compensation, may be key to your protection when the person to blame for your crash doesn’t have proper insurance. Knowing how to protect yourself both before and after a car crash can help you reduce the risks that come with personal transportation.