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By Sara Anglin - State Farm Insurance Agent
Uninsured Motorist Coverage Fills Gaps You Don't See Coming TL;DR: Tennessee requires uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on every auto policy, and for goo...
TL;DR: Tennessee requires uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on every auto policy, and for good reason—it pays your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages when the driver who hits you has no insurance or not enough. In a state where roughly one in five drivers may be uninsured, this coverage protects you even when the other person doesn't.
Tennessee consistently ranks among the states with some of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the country. That's not a scare tactic—it's just the math. When you're merging onto I-440 during the evening commute or sitting in traffic on Broadway after a Predators game, plenty of the vehicles around you may not carry any liability coverage at all.
Tennessee actually requires uninsured motorist coverage as part of every auto policy unless you specifically reject it in writing. The state built that requirement into law because legislators recognized the risk is real enough to warrant default protection. The Insurance Information Institute tracks uninsured driver rates by state if you want to see where Tennessee falls.
Uninsured motorist coverage kicks in when you're injured by a driver who either has no insurance or fled the scene entirely (a hit-and-run). It covers expenses that would normally be the other driver's responsibility—except they have no policy to pay.
Specifically, UM bodily injury coverage can pay for:
This coverage follows you, not just your car. If you're a passenger in someone else's vehicle, walking across a crosswalk in East Nashville, or biking along the Shelby Bottoms Greenway and an uninsured driver injures you, your own UM coverage can still apply.
Tennessee policies typically bundle uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage together. They solve different problems.
Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage applies when the at-fault driver does have insurance, but their limits aren't high enough to cover your damages. Tennessee's minimum liability requirement is just $25,000 per person. A serious accident with hospital stays, surgery, and months of rehab can blow past $25,000 before you're even discharged.
Here's a quick comparison:
| Scenario | Which Coverage Applies | |---|---| | At-fault driver has zero insurance | Uninsured motorist (UM) | | At-fault driver flees the scene (hit-and-run) | Uninsured motorist (UM) | | At-fault driver's limits are too low for your bills | Underinsured motorist (UIM) | | At-fault driver has adequate coverage | Their liability policy pays |
Both UM and UIM protect your finances when someone else's poor planning becomes your emergency.
Nashville added tens of thousands of new residents over the past few years. More people means more cars, more congestion, and statistically more encounters with drivers who are uninsured or carrying bare-minimum limits.
Construction zones along I-65 near The Nations, the constant lane shifts around the new developments in Antioch, and packed parking lots near the Gulch all increase fender-bender frequency. Most of those minor incidents stay minor. But when one doesn't—when a rear-end collision at a red light on Gallatin Pike leads to neck surgery—you want coverage that pays regardless of the other driver's situation.
Tennessee lets you carry UM/UIM limits up to the amount of your liability coverage. Many people accept whatever default the policy comes with and never revisit it. That default might be the state minimum.
A few things worth considering when you pick your limits:
Raising UM/UIM limits is often surprisingly affordable compared to other coverage increases. Many people find it adds only a modest amount to their premium for significantly more protection.
Spring in Nashville means packed weekends—CMA Fest season is right around the corner, patios on 12th South are full, and weekend trips to Percy Priest Lake pick up. More activity on the roads means more exposure to drivers you can't vet.
Your UM/UIM coverage is the part of your policy that quietly handles the worst-case version of someone else's mistake. It's worth knowing exactly what limits you're carrying and whether they'd actually cover a serious situation. Pull up your declarations page or give your agent a call—it takes five minutes to check.