An insurance research group, the Pennsylvania-based Insurance Research Council, has recently forecast that the current recession will lead to an increase in the number of motorists driving without insurance. The number of uninsured motorists is expected to be more than 1 in 6 by next year, that;s over 16% of all drivers, according to the report.

My 30 years of experience in handling motor vehicle accident cases is consistent with the research group’s forecast that the percentage of insured motorists usually rises with the unemployment rate. Unemployment is expected to rise to over ten percent in certain areas in the upcoming months.

Whether you live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, you need to insure yourself against uninsured motorists. You should review your automobile policies to be sure that you have adequate uninsured motorist coverage. If you are hurt by an uninsured motorist you will only be able to collect up to the policy limit of your uninsured coverage.

Note from the Webmaster: For those of you living in New Hampshire, you may have noticed that on February 2nd 2009, the Nashua Telegraph did an article entitled Uninsured on the road could swell by Melanie Plenda. You can view the article on the Nashua Telegraph’s website. The good news is that in New Hampshire, the insurance companies are not allowed to deny coverage to anyone because of bad credit, low income or other factors with the exception of out of state residency and legally not allowed to drive. The bad news however is that auto insurance is voluntary in New Hampshire. If you are uninsured and get in an accident with another uninsured vehicle, there is nothing to collect, leaving you responsible for all your bills. Therefore, automobile insurance is highly recommended.

Welcome to the Legal Blog of the Law Offices of Edward F. Wallace.

A quick introduction into our lawyers:

Edward F. Wallace has been practicing law for over 30 years. He received his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1978. He is admitted to practice before all the courts of the States of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Attorney Wallace is certified as an Advocate by the National College for Advocacy and a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

Laura Sheppard received her law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law in 1996. She is admitted to practice before all the courts of the States of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Attorney Sheppard is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association.

A quick introduction to our webmaster:

Nicole Janice Wallace received her B.A. in English and Medieval Studies from Smith College in 2002. She received her M.A. from University College London in the UK in 2003 in Scandinavian Studies. She is currently the webmaster and designer of TheMediationLawyers.com. In addition to her work at this law firm, she moderates two unrelated websites.