The effects of uninsured drivers on insurance rates for drivers obeying mandatory liability insurance laws and the consequences of uninsured drivers causing auto accidents motivated California voters to protect themselves in 1996. Responding to strong public opinion about the dangers and liabilities of uninsured drivers, California lawmakers passed Proposition 213, and it became effective January 1, 1997. This piece of legislation removes the rights of uninsured motorists to bring lawsuits for pain and suffering. The law states that when an auto accident occurs, an injured driver must be able to show that he or she had liability insurance at the time of the accident to collect “general damages” from the “at fault” driver.

The only exception to Proposition 213 is written into the law and states that if the driver or owner of an uninsured vehicle was in an auto accident, he or she can still collect general damages if the driver found to be “at fault” was operating his or her vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. However, under all other circumstances, if the driver of an uninsured vehicle is involved in a motor vehicle accident, whether he, she or another driver is found to be at fault for causing the accident, the driver of the uninsured vehicle may not file any kind of a claim for damages.

Essentially, this means that if a driver fails to obey California law and purchase mandatory liability insurance, that driver forfeits the opportunity to file for damages against another driver. If you or someone you care for sustained injury in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist, South Central Los Angeles auto accident attorney Samer Habbas may be able to help. Call his law offices today to schedule a free consultation about your case with this experienced Orange County injury lawyer.

Despite the fact that mandatory liability insurance laws were passed many years ago and the penalties for not having insurance are steep and well publicized, there are still many drivers on California streets and highways who do not have insurance. This disregard for the law puts law-abiding drivers at risk and makes their liability insurance more expensive than it has to be. The hard facts about uninsured drivers in California may shock and upset the state’s drivers but the more we know about uninsured drivers, the more drivers and lawmakers can do about them.

There are approximately 22.4 million cars, motorcycles and light trucks registered in California. Of the amount of California drivers on the road at any time, one driver in four or 25 percent do not have mandatory liability insurance. That percentage rises sharply higher in the evening and early morning hours. In addition to the higher car insurance premiums that they must already pay, it has been estimated that uninsured motorists cost California drivers $1.4 billion every year in auto accidents. If the state finds that a vehicle is uninsured through their shared database with insurance companies, the owner has 30 days to buy insurance.

To put the scope of California’s uninsured drivers in perspective, the state sent out 1.8 million notices of registration suspension from September to December 2007. Of that number, state official say that 500,000 drivers showed up to provide proof of insurance purchase to reinstate their registration. An astonishing 72 percent of those who receive suspension notices did not respond to the California DMV.

If you have been involved in an accident caused by an uninsured driver, South Central Los Angeles auto accident lawyer Samer Habbas may be able to help you recover the damages for medical expenses and other accident-related costs to which you are entitled to under the law.