Uninsured Motorists Down in South Carolina

Shannon Weidemann

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The number of uninsured drivers in the state of South Carolina appears to be dropping thanks to new laws enacted in 2002. Analysis of data from car accidents shows that the percentage of illegal drivers dropped from 18 in 2003 to 9 in 2006.

But even cutting our uninsured motorists rate in half would only bring us down to the national average. And uninsured motorists cost us all. Not only do they drive up everybody else's auto insurance rates, but a 2001 audit estimated that as many as half of uninsured vehicles also don't register their vehicles with the state, and thus don't pay property taxes on them. That means the rest of us pay higher property taxes.

The law from 2002 also made hand made signs announcing that a driver had applied for tags were made illegal. Auto dealerships can now print up temporary tags so car owners can drive their purchase off the lot. A report by the Legislative Auto Council is not in favor of the dealer made tags. They found that the tags could be easily faked. That could mean a high number of uninsured motorists are driving around the state and will only be caught if they are involved in an accident.