| Utah's uninsured motorists finally seem
to be getting the message -- in the form of a letter
from the Department of Public Safety.
When Rep. Kelly Atkinson, D-West Jordan, fist proposed
a computer tracking system to identify Utahns who
are breaking the law by driving without car insurance,
there was a lot of skepticism. Some said the number
of uninsured wasn't large enough to worry about. Others
doubted the computer plan would actually work.
But now that the initial results of the statewide
data base tracking are in, both groups have been proven
wrong. The system, in two months of operation, has
tracked down 320,000 uninsured motorists. After the
Department of Public Safety sent the first warning
letters, 37,800 purchased auto insurance.
Whether the incentive is to avoid further legal
action or just to obey the law once it is explained
to them, the thousands who decided to comply are making
the highways a less expensive place for those who
have carried insurance all along.
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Motorists who obey the law and buy car
insurance have for many years paid higher premiums to
cover the liability of uninsured motorists. When uninsured
drivers cause accidents, the other motorist involved
is forced to pay for damage.
So law-abiding motorists get hit twice -- with higher
premiums every month and with higher expenses when
they are involved in accidents with the uninsured.
The situation has been blatantly unfair for far
too long. Atkinson's system is working well and should
be continued. State officials have a goal of bringing
60 percent of the uninsured motorists into compliance
in the coming 18 months. That commendable goal just
might be achievable with the online program.
Officials also promise a lower error rate as the
system is fine-tuned.
Surely most Utahns would risk getting an undeserved
warning letter in order to reduce the chance of being
involved in an accident with someone who doesn't have
insurance.
10/11/95
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