There are several requirements you must meet to legally drive in North Carolina. You need to have a driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle on public roads. Your vehicle requires formal registration with the state, and you will have to display proof of registration on the vehicle and provide it to police officers in the event of a collision or traffic stop.
Finally, the state requires that you maintain liability insurance on your vehicle. Some drivers will break one or all of these rules. Unlicensed drivers and uninsured drivers increase the risk for everyone else on the roads.
Could you be at risk for a collision caused by an uninsured driver?
Despite the law, people drive without insurance
State law is very clear about the requirement for drivers to have insurance, but there are still numerous people who will let their policies lapse or who will even intentionally cancel their coverage just to save a little money.
Many people who drive without insurance do not get caught, and they all gamble with both the risk that they will face enforcement actions that could mean expensive tickets and the possibility that they would cause a crash. In North Carolina, roughly 7.4% of licensed drivers drive without insurance, based on data from 2019.
If an uninsured driver damages your vehicle or leaves you injured, you may have no choice but to make a claim against your own coverage or take the other driver to court. Understanding what protects you after a North Carolina car crash will help you cover the expenses that result.
