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Deseret Morning News, Thursday, July 21, 2005 Uninsured drivers are still a problem By David
Hinckley Although Utah's rate of uninsured drivers has plummeted in the past 10 years, the Legislature's Transportation Interim Committee wants it reduced even more. But even this is a problem, said Rep. Joseph Murray, R-Ogden,
co-chairman of the committee, noting that those hit by uninsured
drivers are most often left to pay for their own repairs. Current state law sets the fine for driving without insurance, a
class B misdemeanor, at a minimum of $400 for a first offense and
$1,000 minimum for a second. But, according to Murray, those fines
are rarely enforced. In addition, the driver's license may be revoked and if regained,
the driver must maintain proof of insurance at the Department of
Public Safety for three years. Despite the decline of the uninsured motorist, Rep. Jim Dunnigan,
R-Taylorsville, said the remaining uninsured drivers tend to make
themselves known. "If there's 5.8 percent without insurance, my
family cars are a magnet for them," he said. Murray said the remaining 5.8 percent are probably those drivers
who don't intend to get insurance and will do what they can to avoid
the requirement. One thing those people do, Dunnigan said, is to pick up insurance
just before they register a vehicle, then let it lapse. Under the
current system, those people receive notices from Insure-Rite after
about three months, and ensuing letters back and forth can keep the
driver driving without insurance for several months before the
person's registration is revoked. Theoretically, a person could buy insurance again just before
that point, then let it lapse again and let the process start over.
The driver could also keep driving despite losing registration.
Dunnigan said a bill was considered in last year's interim committee
to reduce the period before Insure-Rite contacts an uninsured driver
from three months down to two. He said the bill was slated for
proposal earlier this year, but the bill's sponsor, Sen. Leonard
Blackham, R-Moroni, was appointed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to be the
state's agriculture commissioner, and the bill fell by the wayside.
Dunnigan said that bill might be reconsidered this year. "It's a concern because it affects premiums for the rest of us,"
he said. "I think we've seen some progress, but we need to get it
(the number of uninsured drivers) lower." Lawmakers might also
consider raising the amount of liability coverage a driver is
required to have, a move that would place a bigger burden on many
drivers but would help them pay for higher-dollar accidents that
often leave those not at fault stuck with big bills
anyway. |
According to statistics presented by Insure-Rite, the state-contracted company that tracks
insured rates and sends reminders to vehicle owners who fail to
maintain insurance, the rate dropped to more than one in 20 in May
2005 from almost one in four motorists in July 1995.
