If someone were to ask you to sit down and make a list of the top 10 things you DON'T want to do today, what do you think would be on it? Work would probably be there! Root canals and lobotomies are equally popular. You might even decide today's not a good day to spend some time in the clink-completely understandable, but don't forget to add getting busted driving without car insurance to the list!

Rising car insurance rates, a crimped economy and a push from the powers that be for ordinary citizens to continue trimming the fat out of their budget until it's leaner than a high priced filet have left many drivers eying their monthly premiums with distaste-and really, who can blame them? Unfortunately money does not, in fact, grow fully formed on trees. You work hard for your paycheck. You deserve to have your paycheck work hard for you.

Before you call up your insurer to cancel your policy, however, take a second to consider the possible implications of getting busted driving without car insurance. Most states frown heavily on drivers who are cruising the friendly highways without any insurance coverage. The disputes these cause can tie up the court systems for years while they squeeze hundreds of thousands of dollars out of drivers that can barely afford the monthly premiums. (Seriously-if you had piles of money lying around wouldn't you have just picked up an insurance policy in the first place?)

The minimum liability requirement in most states means that it's technically illegal to drive without insurance. You can find yourself dragged into court, paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars in fines and court costs, sentenced to take a driver improvement course and banned from the road altogether. That's right, you can actually lose your license in some states the first time you get caught driving without insurance.

Sound like fun? No, probably not.

Even if you aren't slapped with severe legal consequences you're still going to be left holding the bill for any and all expenses resulting from your car accident. A recent study done by AAA showed that Americans spend over $164.2 billion annually to pay for medical care and property damage resulting from car accidents. That works out to over $1,000 per person, per year. Since not everyone gets into an accident each year, the burden of paying for these accidents falls on the drivers who do. And if you're having trouble stretching your budget to cover the cost of your annual insurance premiums imagine the bite it's going to take out of your present and future savings if you have to pay $10,000 or more to cover the cost of your accident?

Bottom line, getting caught driving without car insurance should fall somewhere between that lobotomy and cleaning your septic tank on the list of things you don't want to do today. No matter how tight your budget is, chances are there's a car insurance policy out there that will give you the coverage you need at a price you can afford.

By Mike McDonough



Mike McDonough is a National Account Executive for http://QuoteScout.com. To find a car insurance policy that works with your budget visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.