Wednesday, March 12, 2008
KIM CHANDLER
News staff writer
House votes to increase driving without insurance fines
MONTGOMERY - The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to increase the fine to $500 for driving without liability insurance and to allow the state to start to confirming motorists' insurance status via the Web.
The House voted 96-0 to approve the bill by Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn.
"We had a problem in the past that people would buy insurance and then drop it and drive around for six months with the card," Hubbard said.
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The bill also would substantially increase the fine for driving without insurance. Hubbard said that if the fine is less than the cost of buying insurance, people have no financial incentive to get insurance. "The message we are sending is go buy insurance," Hubbard said.
Hubbard said his bill allows the state to get coverage status from insurance companies electronically. That technology wasn't as available when legislators began debating mandatory insurance years ago, Hubbard said.
He said he envisioned state troopers being able to use their car laptop to instantaneously retrieve someone's insurance status during a traffic stop.
Under the proposal, the fine for driving without insurance would increase from:
$100 to $500 for the first offense.
$200 to $750 for the second offense within four years.
$200 to $1,000 for the third offense within four years.
The bill also would substantially increase the fine for driving without insurance. Hubbard said that if the fine is less than the cost of buying insurance, people have no financial incentive to get insurance. "The message we are sending is go buy insurance," Hubbard said.
You know...I don't get the legislative belief that most people without insurance coverage are without it because they choose to be. That is not the case. Most people who do not have car insurance because they cannot afford it.
So, what does the government do? Why RAISE fines of course. Hell, if folks without insurance had $500 laying around the house chances are they would have insurance. And instead of using the $500 that many will have to borrow from someone else to buy a damn insurance policy you have to give it to the courts instead. For $500 I could insure both of my cars for at least a year....maybe longer. But if I have to borrow that money to pay a fine then I still don't have money to pay an insurance premium. How exactly is a huge fine supposed to help when the original problem is lack of money?
The legislature does stuff like this without talking about how it will affect poor people in rural areas where there is no public transportation....like where I live. How will poor people unable to afford insurance coverage get to work? If they can't get to work then they can't feed their families and may wind up on the taxpayers dime through Section 8 housing and food stamps. But no one mentions that.
What this law will do is further criminalize impoverished folks. Man I HATE government!
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