For the first time, as of June 1, 2010, liability insurance coverage for all drivers will now be mandatory in Wisconsin under the new laws.  The previous system essentially required an uninsured motorist who caused injury in an accident to post a sufficient sum with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to cover the victim's property damage and medical bills, or lose their license or vehicle registration for failure to do so.  That system was ineffective since many of the uninsured drivers also had no license or valid registration to begin with.

Although making liability insurance mandatory for all Wisconsin drivers will increase the percentage of insured drivers on our roads, there will likely remain a fair number of uninsured drivers.  Other states that have mandatory insurance, such as Illinois, still have many uninsured motorists on their roads.  As such, it is important to make sure you have adequate uninsured coverage (coverage that you can use if another driver with no insurance causes an accident in which you are injured) under your own policy, despite the change in Wisconsin liability laws.