1994–2000 Ohio Uninsured Drivers at Fault in Crashes
There is a wide range of estimates regarding the number of uninsured
drivers in Ohio. Because Ohio has a financial responsibility (FR)
law, not a pure compulsory insurance law, it’s difficult to
truly gauge the number of Ohioans who are not complying with the
FR law and are therefore considered uninsured. A definitive percentage
or range of those who may be driving without insurance or other
means of financial responsibility would be purely speculative unless
a proportionate number of drivers from various parts of the state
were randomly stopped and asked for FR proof.
What has been tracked for the past several years is the FR status
of drivers involved in crashes. In recent years, there has been
a decline in the number of nonfinancially responsible (uninsured)
drivers who have been at fault in crashes. In 1994, there were 25,303
drivers found to be at fault in crashes and not in compliance with
the FR law. That number dropped by more than 218% by 2000. The chart
below provides Ohio driver crash statistics by year for 1994–2000.
According to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), the threat
of license suspension and the addition of more financial responsibility
(FR) law enforcement mechanisms have likely motivated motorists
to come into compliance with Ohio law in recent years. Since October
1995, law enforcement has been checking Ohio drivers for proof of
FR at the scene of a crash, when being issued a traffic citation
or during a vehicle safety inspection.
(1) Based on ODPS at-fault percentage total of 49.6%
(2) Based on ODPS at-fault percentage total of 49.9%
(3) Figures for 1999 are provisional
NA=Not applicable
Source: Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio
Traffic Crash Facts, 1994–2000 editions
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According to the Ohio Department of Public
Safety (ODPS), the number of uninsured drivers involved in crashes
in 2000, regardless of fault, was 11,269. In 1996, ODPS crash
figures show that 23,563 drivers in crashes were uninsured,
regardless of fault. There was a 52% decrease in uninsured drivers
involved in crashes during the five-year period. |
BMV random verification program
An additional enforcement measure was introduced by the BMV in
December 1998. The BMV began randomly selecting Ohio vehicle owners
to receive a form requesting that they mail in proof of compliance
with Ohio’s financial responsibility law on a specified date.
(Click
here for the specifics regarding the BMV’s random verification
program.)
Uninsured motorist studies
The Insurance Research Council (IRC) released a February 2001 study
that found 13.7% of US drivers are uninsured. According to the study,
the problem of driving uninsured varies greatly among states, from
a high of 32.4% in Colorado to a low of 4.1% in Maine. The IRC study
estimates Ohio’s uninsured motorist (UM) rate at 12.6%. The
chart below provides IRC’s estimates of uninsured drivers
by state.
IRC calculations were based on the ratio of claims by individuals
injured by uninsured drivers (UM coverage) to claims by individuals
injured by insured drivers (bodily injury liability coverage) for
1995–1997. 16 states and the District of Columbia had ratios
of UM to bodily injury (BI) claim frequencies above the US average
of 13.7%, and 34 states had ratios below the US average.
The IRC study found that Ohio’s 1995–1997 UM claim frequency
was .179 per 100 vehicles (US average was .193) and its BI claim
frequency was 1.42 per 100 vehicles (US average was 1.40). In a
similar report released by the IRC in 1999, Cleveland East had the
highest uninsured motorist claim frequency at .705 compared to the
state average of .195. Cleveland East also had Ohio’s highest
UM loss cost at $46.18, compared to the state average of $10.98.
A 1998 study released by the National Association of Independent
Insurers (NAII) found that mandatory insurance laws have failed
to curb uninsured motorists. The study found that in the 19 states
with compulsory insurance laws effective prior to 1976, the growth
of UM ranged anywhere from 6% to nearly 300% between 1976–1985.
According to the NAII study, about 15% of the US driving population
was uninsured in 1995. In 13 of the states with compulsory laws,
estimated UM populations were higher. In four of those states (CA,
CO, NM, SC) and Washington, DC, more than 20% of the drivers are
reportedly uninsured.
Of the 12 states enacting compulsory liability insurance laws between
1976–1984, only four experienced a reduction in uninsured motorists.
For this study, Ohio was considered part of this group since most
Ohioans comply with the FR law through the purchase of auto liability
insurance. The NAII study reports that Ohio experienced a UM growth
rate of 3.5% between 1984–1985, which is prior to enactment
of the FR enforcement provision. For more information regarding
Ohio’s FR law, click
here.
Source: Insurance Research Council, state averages
for 1995–1997
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