Texas Department of Insurance to implement uninsured driver program for police use

by PegNews wire

"Can't find your vehicle in the Texas Financial Responsibility Verification Program database, ma'am. Would you step out of the car, please?"

It sounds really great for the 80-85% of us drivers who diligently maintain our liability auto insurance: starting in January Texas police officers will have instant access to a computerized database which can alert them as to whether a vehicle they've pulled over (or even just passed in traffic) has valid liability auto insurance.

The Texas Financial Responsibility Verification Program, developed by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), is basically a real-time accessible database which references insurance coverage information for all state-registered motorized vehicles.

What's the downside? Insurance industry trade groups point out that there could easily be a gap between the time someone buys a car and the time the database is updated - which could possibly result in a driver being incorrectly cited for an infraction, the cost of which can range from $175 to $350 for a first offense.

There'll always be naysayers and skeptics, though - why should any law-abiding citizen worry about a program developed by an alphabet soup of government agencies?

posted by JM

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John McClelland, says:

I'm still confused why Texas allows drivers without insurance to continue driving even if they have been stopped by police. Isn't the point of having insurance to be able to be insured if you hit somebody. So if you do not have it, and you hit somebody....fill in the blank.

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2 years, 3 months ago
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luniz, says:

If they're smart enough to fill out a police report, they can file with the state and get some sort of compensation. If they're stupid naive idiots and they don't fill out a report after getting hit with somebody driving with expired insurace, they get screwed.

I would hope that if you have your card, you won't be ticketed for not having insurance regardless of what some stupid database says.

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2 years, 3 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

Pretty sure if you show proof of insurance, as you do now, they won't fine you.

Also, get uninsured/underinsured coverage so you don't have to worry about it. It's not like cops are going to lock up people who drive uninsured, but I agree vehicles should be impounded or something along those lines.

Apparently a <a href="http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2007/09/05/83207.htm">future feature of the database</a> is that the state will mail notices to everyone without coverage...and hopefully follow up with fines if they haven't bought coverage within 30 days. But that's not anticipated until fall of next year, so get yo'self covered for uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage imo. Especially since 20/40/15 is pretty useless if they really hurt some peeps.

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2 years, 3 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

Snap!

<a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5103185.html">Per the Houston Chronicle</a>, "Starting April 1, 2008, the minimum liability limits increase to $25,000 (up $5,000) per injured person, $50,000 (up $10,000) for everyone injured in an accident, and $25,000 (up $10,000) for property damage."

It makes me happy in the pants that we're going to 25/50/25, but I'm wondering what that's going to do to state-wide rates considering vast majority have the minimum required 20/40/15 atm.

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2 years, 3 months ago
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Robert Lilly, says:

The "downside" listed doesn't exist. The database will not relieve any driver from being required to carry proof of current minimum liability coverage.

In all cases where a person is cited for an insurance violation - If that person appears in court and shows proof that they had insurance in effect on the date and time of the citation then the charge IS dismissed. Therefore, the actual downside is someone who didn't carry their "proof", as they are required to do, being inconvenienced due to their own failure to acquire or carry it. Paper documentation of proof of insurance will always be acceptable to the officer in the field and to the courts regardless of what the "computer" says.

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2 years, 2 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

60-day pilot is <a href="http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2008/07/29/92291.htm">almost over</a>, btw. 25.5% of drivers in Travis County and outskirts of surrounding counties were found to be uninsured.

Unfortunately, seems the new system won't be mandatory across all enforcement groups - I'm guessing mandatory for state troopers, but optional with local peeps. sigh

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1 year, 4 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

<a href="http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2008/10/03/94317.htm">Daterbase has arrived.</a>

Still don't see anything indicating it's required for all law enforcement...simply that it's available. Nothing firm on <a href="http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/auto/frvp_consumer.html">the TDI site</a>, anyways.