I will share my opinion.
I think it is prudent to have insurance, though not mandatory.
You ask about a collision but make no mention of liability.
I will assume for what ever reason the 'freeman' is liable.
Then he has to pay, and he pays as much as he can if he does not have enough to cover it, and then continues paying. That is why insurance is prudent.
However what about people who are facing insurance of $1000+ a month in order to use the public roads? They have one little bang up due to ice or something innocuous and are expected to pay higher premiums for a long time.
However, all that is merely philosophical about how things should be and not how they actually are.
http://forum.davidicke.com/showpost.php?p=1059869362&postcount=8
Insurance is a gambling scheme, and it is not mandatory in order to use public roads.
When one reads the Acts, without regard for what they want them to say or hope they say beforehand, one sees that someone's fear of 'what might happen if' is simply not important when reading them, and there is no requirement for insurance in order to travel on the highways, though as I said it is in my view prudent.