JACKSON, MS (AP) -- A study released today by a Pennsylvania-based property-casualty insurance research group says the recession probably will spur a sharp rise in uninsured motorists by next year.
New Mexico and Mississippi led the nation in uninsured motorists in 2007, the latest data available.
That's according to the Insurance Research Council.
The five states with the highest uninsured driver estimates were New Mexico (29 percent), Mississippi (28 percent), Alabama (26 percent), Oklahoma (24 percent) and Florida (23 percent).
The study finds a strong correlation between the percentage of uninsured motorists and the unemployment rate.
Based on current national unemployment projections, the study says uninsured motorists could increase from 13.8 percent in 2007 to 16.1 in 2010.
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