Published: July 31, 2008 07:07 pm      

Uninsured motorists will soon pay one way or another

State officials report the free ride for uninsured motorists will soon come to a screeching halt with the new TexasSure system. The state’s new program will identify vehicles without liability insurance with the goal of reducing the number of uninsured vehicles in Texas.

To test the new system, officials have implemented a pilot program in the Travis County area. So far more than 5,000 drivers have been stopped and about 25 percent were found to uninsured.

“About 4 million people don’t have insurance in the state of Texas,” said Stephanie Davis, of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “That’s about 1 in 5.”

TexasSure is a secure database that matches the records of registered passenger vehicles in Texas to personal auto insurance policy data submitted by 200-plus Texas insurance companies. With the information at their fingertips, law enforcement officers and county tax officials can instantly verify whether a vehicle has auto liability coverage required by state law.

“Any tool that helps us reduce the number of uninsured vehicles is good news for law-abiding Texans with coverage,” said Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin in a press release.

Texas law requires minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per injured person, up to a total of $50,000 for everyone injured in an accident and $25,000 for property damage. Liability coverage pays other people’s expenses in accidents caused by the insured driver.

Driving without liability insurance can result in a fine of up to $350 and possibly hundreds of dollars more in court costs and additional fees. Repeat offenders also are subject to a two year driver license suspension.

“For too long, having a collision in Texas has been like playing a game of Russian roulette, where you never know whether the at-fault driver is carrying the required insurance,” said DPS Highway Patrol Lt. Louis Sanchez. “Because of TexasSure, we believe drivers now will be far more likely to get and keep a liability policy when they realize we have a way to identify phony proof-of-insurance cards and catch those who cancel their policy as soon as they get their cars registered or inspected.”

Do not pass go, but go directly to jail if caught driving without a valid license.

Since 2003 the state of Texas has assessed surcharges to drivers with moving violations and those who don’t pay will have their license suspended resulting in being arrested if caught driving.

The state of Texas will suspend a person’s driver’s license if convicted of a moving violation and they haven’t made payment arrangements or paid their surcharges in full, said Sgt. Patrick Heintz of the Texas Department of Public Safety Driver’s License Division. “If they make payment arrangements and they miss a payment then the surcharge will have to be paid in full before their driver’s license will become valid.”

Annual surcharges for failure to maintain financial responsibility is $250. The driving while license invalid surcharge is $250 also.

The offending driver will be notified by mail to the address on their driver’s license if they are to pay a surcharge. They will have 30 days to comply before their license is suspended.

The number to call for additional information is 1-800-688-6882 or by e-mail the address is msb@txdps.state.tx.us.



Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2613, or dschamber@orangeleader.com