Driving Without Insurance Isn’t Worth It!
It all happened just a week after I bought my car! I used my first paycheck at my new job to buy a car so I could commute with my own wheels. The plan was to use my second paycheck to buy the insurance. After all, I had driven for years with no accidents, and I could be careful for at least two weeks more, right? So, on the way home, just a week after I bought the car, I turned left onto my parent’s street, and crash! The oncoming car ignored the stop sign and accelerated right through the intersection. My car was totalled, pinning me into the drivers seat and terrifying my daughter who was in the back in her car seat. After being freed from my car, I noticed the family of the other car sitting on the curb demanding that the police call for an ambulance so they could go to the hospital to be “checked” out. Being a short block from my parents house, my father came, and after determining that my car could hobble to their house, we drove it down the street. Their “scratched” car was towed. Now, remembering that I don’t have insurance, I quickly got a ticket for driving without insurance, as well as losing my license until my court date. Then in the following weeks, I was contacted by their insurance demanding that all costs of the accident be paid. Take note here that the accident was not my fault, and the police’s accident report specifically expressed that I was not at fault. The hospital bills (everyone was fine), the towing, and the car repairs totalled more than I made in a whole year! Since I couldn’t pay in full, it was sent to a lawyer…(so now add lawyer and court fees). Luckily, after about a month, I was able to arrange with the courts to have a provisional license so I could again drive myself to and from work. But I needed to still find a driver to take my daughter to school, and us to the grocery store and church for months. So, I started the search for an insurance policy I could afford that met the requirements of the court. The paperwork seemed endless. I was able, to find another car, same make and model and was able to combine the two into reliable transportation, with some extra parts for spares. I was able to keep my job due to the loving support of my family, driving me around whenever possible. I didn’t hear much from the lawyer for several years, as the case was tied up in court. I got my license back and life went on as normal… until it was time to renew my drivers license. At the DMV I found out that my license had been suspended due to fact that the insurance company didn’t send the correct papers. So I was back to having others drive me everywhere until everything got worked out. Life went on, I got my license, moved to another town, changed jobs… Again, my license was suspended, due to my insurance company messing up, and the cycle started over one more time. Then one night, as I was enjoying dinner, I was served the final papers from court sentencing me to nine years of monthly payments. Today, I have to check with the DMV and my insurance company on a yearly basis to ensure that I don’t have my license suspended ever again. I have three more years of monthly payments before I can finally wake up from the “nightmare” of that simple drive home from work.