Oklahoma City Blog: Personal Injury

Though it is illegal to drive without insurance, many motorists in Oklahoma are still uninsured or underinsured. A study released by the Insurance Research Council ranked Oklahoma as the fourth-worst state in the nation for uninsured motorists and found that one in four Oklahoma state drivers don't have insurance. But driving without insurance or without enough insurance can be a legal and financial gamble.  Underinsured drivers often find themselves seeking the help of an experienced Oklahoma car accident attorney when the costs of a motor vehicle accident exceed insurance coverage.

OK Underinsured and Uninsured Motorist Attorneys

Oklahoma law requires you to carry, at a minimum, liability insurance coverage. If you drive without insurance, you risk the suspension of your driver's license, fines, jail time as well as other municipal fines and penalties.

To avoid the penalties, some motorists choose to have the bare minimum of liability insurance coverage. Liability insurance coverage must provide a minimum of $25,000 for injuries sustained by one person, $50,000 for all injuries and $25,000 for property damage caused by you.

That may seem like a lot, but it may not actually cover all the costs of an accident. The insurance industry and consumer groups typically recommend a driver purchase a minimum of $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident because accidents can easily far exceed the minimum limit of coverage.

One reason the cost can be so high is because in Oklahoma drivers are held legally and financially responsible for property damage and personal injury they cause. Oklahoma operates under a system known as modified comparative negligence. This means the degree of fault of each driver determines the amount of damages. For example, suppose two motorists are in a car accident. The first driver caused 60% percent of the damage and the second driver caused 40% of the damage. The second driver can sue the first and recover 60% of the damages resulting from the car accident.

The costs of being uninsured or underinsured in Oklahoma can be excessive – whether it is the fines for driving without insurance, or costs of an accident that exceed the amount of coverage, or costs of damages if you are sued for your part in an accident. It is a system that can be difficult to navigate and even more difficult to understand. That is why many uninsured and underinsured motorists seek legal counsel. If you or someone you love is having insurance problems after an accident and needs legal help, contact one of the skilled uninsured or underinsured motorist attorneys at Atkins & Markoff.

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