I cancelled my auto insurance and haven't bought a new policy yet. Does anyone know that I don't have auto insurance besides me?

Maybe not. It's tough to get a good handle on how many drivers are out there without car insurance, but states do try to find out. Some use random sampling. They send a list of vehicles to car insurance companies and ask if they are insured. Other states require insurance companies to submit their lists of current customers. Still others use databases updated weekly or monthly with customer lists from insurance companies.

About half of states do not use an electronic reporting system to track which drivers are uninsured. So whether your state knows you are forgoing an auto policy depends a lot on where you live. Meanwhile, critics say the databases are expensive, and while those lists tell who has car insurance, they don't reveal which drivers don't have insurance.

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Some states, including Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming, are moving toward Web-based systems that would allow for event-based queries to check whether someone is uninsured. For instance, if you were stopped for a traffic violation, the officer could look your name up on such a system to see if you were insured, but it's unclear whether these systems will reduce the number of uninsured drivers.

Penalties for driving without insurance vary from small fines to jail time, depending on the state. Besides getting you in legal trouble, driving without insurance is dangerous financially. You'll be on the hook for damages if you cause an accident.

When you get car insurance quotes, you likely will face higher rates because of your lapse in coverage, but you should be honest about your situation.

For more see, Look Ma, no car insurance! Why states can't figure out who's driving without car insurance.