An estimated 15.4% of U.S. drivers had no insurance in 2023, according to the Insurance Research Council. Add drivers whose coverage is too low to pay for the damage they cause, and the share rises to 33.4%, or 1 in 3.
If one of those drivers hits you, their policy limits do not set your bills. Your own policy does, and only if it includes the right line.
Where the odds are worst
The Insurance Research Council estimates the uninsured rate by comparing uninsured motorist claims to bodily injury claims, so state figures are estimates.
In 2023, the highest rates were in Mississippi at 28.2%, New Mexico at 24.1% and Washington, D.C., at 23.1%. Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida and California each topped 20%.
The lowest were Maine at 5.7%, Utah at 6.2% and Idaho at 6.4%.
Nationally, the uninsured estimate has risen from 11.6% in 2019 to 15.4% in 2023.
What the coverage does
Uninsured motorist coverage pays for injuries or damage caused by a driver without liability insurance or by a hit-and-run driver.
Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage pays costs that exceed the at-fault driver’s limits. Twenty states and Washington, D.C., require uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, or both. In other states, insurers offer it and you choose.
The stakes are practical. Suppose an uninsured driver causes a crash that sends you to the hospital. Your health insurance may pay first, but uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage can help with costs it does not, such as lost wages. Without it, you may be left pursuing a judgment against a driver who has no policy and few assets.
Dale Porfilio, then the council’s president, said in the group’s report release: “The increase in UIM rates points to higher UIM premiums in the future, worsening affordability and potentially increasing the likelihood of more uninsured drivers.”
What to look for on your policy
Your declarations page shows whether you have it and at what limits. Look for lines labeled uninsured or underinsured motorist, usually split into bodily injury and, in some states, property damage. Compare those limits with your own liability limits.
Then ask your insurer three questions: whether the coverage pays for your car as well as for injuries, what deductible applies, and what it would add to your premium to raise the limits.
The answers vary by state and insurer. The figures above reflect 2023, the latest year in the council’s report released in February 2025.
Raising limits is not free, so it is worth pricing the change with more than one company. A quote for the same coverage at higher limits shows what the extra protection actually costs.
If you do nothing else, read the declarations page once and write down the number that matters most: what your policy pays when the other driver cannot. Then ask your insurer what it would take to raise it.
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