The latest numbers from the Insurance Research Council show 14 percent of Missouri drivers are uninsured. The Department of Revenue says it’s working to bring that number down.

Missouri ranks 22nd in the country for uninsured motorists, right at the national average of 13.8 percent.

Department of Revenue spokesman Ted Farnan says Missouri has all the right laws to deter people from driving without insurance.

Getting caught without insurance can result in four points against your license. Getting caught falsifying insurance information is an automatic one-year suspension. He says despite that, there are those who are determined to drive with no insurance.

Farnan says the department is working to increase communications with insurance companies to flag uninsured motorists in the system, but says resources are a problem. By resources he means funding. The department did sample Missouri licensed drivers from 2002 to 2006 asking them to provide proof of insurance, and he says there was a 90 percent compliance rate. However, budget cuts resulted in ending the program.

He says the department is working on some new projects to increase compliance, but they’re in the early stages and he cannot provide details yet.

AUDIO: Jessica Machetta reports [1:22 min.]

According to the Mississippi has the highest rate of uninsured motorists — 28 percent.

The most compliant drivers in the country live in Massachussetts, where only 4.5 percent of motorists risk driving with no insurance.

The IRC says higher unemployment rates can cause a higher rate of uninsured motorists. However, a look at the numbers shows some states with relatively low unemployment numbers in comparison to the national average (around 9 percent), yet top the list for uninsured drivers.

More than one in four drivers in New Mexico and Oklahoma don’t have insurance, yet have unemployment rates of 6.7 and 5.5, respectively. Meanwhile, states like Idaho have unemployment rates that mirror the national average but show an extremely low number of uninsured motorists.

The complete list issued by the IRC ranks all 50 states:

State Uninsured % Unemployed %
Mississippi 28 10.4
New Mexico 26 6.7
Florida 24 10.7
Oklahoma 24 5.5
Tennessee 24 9.8
Alabama 22 10.0
Michigan 19 10.9
Kentucky 18 9.5
Rhode Island 18 10.8
Arkansas 16 8.2
Georgia 16 10.1
Indiana 16 8.5
Ohio 16 9.0
Washington 16 9.3
California 15 12.0
Colorado 15 8.5
District of Columbia 15 10.8
Illinois 15 9.5
Maryland 15 7.2
Texas 15 8.4
Wisconsin 15 7.8
Missouri 14 8.7
North Carolina 14 10.1
Alaska 13 7.7
Louisiana 13 7.6
Minnesota 13 7.2
Nevada 13 12.9
Arizona 12 9.4
Delaware 11 8.1
Hawaii 11 6.1
Iowa 11 6.0
Montana 11 7.7
New Hampshire 11 5.2
New Jersey 11 9.5
South Carolina 11 10.9
Virginia 11 6.1
West Virginia 11 8.1
Connecticut 10 9.1
Kansas 10 6.5
Oregon 10 9.5
Wyoming 10 5.8
North Dakota 9 3.3
South Dakota 9 4.7
Idaho 8 9.4
Nebraska 8 4.1
Utah 8 7.5
Pennsylvania 7 7.8
Vermont 7 5.7
New York 5 8.0
Maine 4.5 7.7
Massachusetts 4.5 7.6