NASHVILLE, TN (WGNS) - Tennessee drivers are facing one of the most dangerous insurance landscapes in the country. A new national study shows the Volunteer State now has the fifth‑highest rate of uninsured motorists in America, with 21.30% of drivers carrying no auto insurance at all. That’s roughly one in every 4.7 drivers on Tennessee roads — a number that should make anyone gripping a steering wheel sit up a little straighter.

The analysis, conducted by Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, highlights a stark contrast between Tennessee and the nation’s safest states. Maine, for example, has an uninsured rate of just 5.70%. The difference isn’t subtle: Maine requires uninsured/Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverageunderinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) and carries a $50,000 minimum bodily injury limit. Tennessee, meanwhile, has no  mandate and sticks with a bare‑bones $25,000 minimum — one of the lowest in the country.

Even with relatively affordable premiums — Tennessee’s average liability cost is $542 — the study notes that many families still struggle to keep policies active. Rural areas, economic pressures, and the absence of stronger insurance requirements all contribute to the state’s high uninsured rate.

The lack of a UM/UIM mandate is especially concerning. It means even responsible, fully insured drivers may not be protected if they’re hit by someone who has no coverage. And with more than one in five drivers uninsured, that’s not a remote possibility — it’s a daily reality.

Attorney Mark Anderson, who worked on the study, didn’t mince words. He said Tennessee’s situation “should concern every driver and policymaker,” adding that the combination of low minimum limits, no UM/UIM requirement, and economic strain has created “one of the worst uninsured motorist crises in America.” His advice to Tennessee families is simple: check your policy and make sure you have uninsured motorist protection, because it may be the only thing standing between you and financial disaster after a crash.

With Tennessee trailing only Mississippi, New Mexico, D.C., and Michigan, the state now finds itself in a national spotlight — and not the good kind. As summer travel ramps up, the message for drivers is clear: know your coverage, because the person next to you at the stoplight may not have any at all.