DALLAS (July 3, 2012)--The number of uninsured drivers in Texas has dropped more than 38 percent from a year ago.

Officials attribute the drop to both a four-year-old program aimed at getting drivers insured or off the road and a clean-up of the state's driver database.

The Dallas Morning News reported that statistics compiled in June indicate that just 13 percent of motorists, or about 2.6 million Texans, are driving without minimum insurance coverage, which is a violation of state law.

One year ago, the state reported that about 22 percent of all drivers, or 4.2 million people, had no insurance.

A private contractor discovered problems in the insured-uninsured database earlier this year.

Texas drivers pay an estimated $1 billion a year to protect themselves from those who have no coverage.

Percentage Of Uninsured Drivers In Urban Counties
(Texas Department of Insurance)

Bexar: 13.65 percent

Dallas: 14.79 percent

El Paso: 14.46 percent

Harris: 14.46 percent

Tarrant: 12.61 percent

Travis: 12.54 percent