Oklahoma Senate Proposal Tackles Uninsured Drivers with DUIs

Oklahoma Sen. Ron Sharp has filed legislation to address the state’s higher number of uninsured motorists specifically those with DUI convictions.

Senate Bill 260 would require an person convicted of Driving Beneath the Influence (DUI) to have valid auto insurance on file with the Department of Public Security for at least one year soon after their conviction, Sharp’s announcement stated.

“We have a dilemma with people convicted of DUIs getting no auto insurance. They have located a loophole in our law whereby they can get auto insurance to get their tag renewed and then cancel the policy right after one month. Others just go purchase a new automobile and auto insurance coverage beneath yet another name,” mentioned Sharp, R-Shawnee.

Under SB 260, the offender’s insurance coverage company would be responsible for keeping an SR 22 Form on file with DPS whether or not the individual was convicted in Oklahoma or one more state. If the person drops their coverage, the insurance business will then send an SR 29 Form to DPS.

If DPS is notified by the insurance coverage company that the person has cancelled their insurance policy, the agency will then notify the person that he or she has 10 days to demonstrate proof of continuous vehicle insurance coverage or request a hearing to demonstrate insurance coverage. If the individual can’;t show proof of insurance coverage for the car in question, DPS will revoke their registration and suspend their driving privileges.

The suspension or revocation will continue until the individual provides satisfactory proof of insurance coverage to DPS. The individual will also be needed to pay a reinstatement charge of $ 100. If someone’s registration is revoked within one year of a prior revocation a $ 300 reinstatement charge should be paid.

The measure tends to make it unlawful for a vehicle that’s registration has been revoked for lack of insurance coverage to be reregistered in the name of the owner, the owner’s spouse, parent or youngster, or any member of the same household till the owner obtains insurance.

If an owner of a automobile, registered or needed to be registered in Oklahoma, is discovered driving or permitting a person else to drive the automobile without having insurance coverage and makes a false certification concerning getting insurance coverage then he or she will be guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person, firm or corporation that offers false info to DPS concerning someone’s vehicle insurance coverage will also be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Supply: Oklahoma Senate

Oklahoma Senate Proposal Tackles Uninsured Drivers with DUIs

Know the cost of a car crash: What being uninsured means for the uninsured, the insured and the insurer

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Driving without insurance is a gamble which can become very costly if you have an accident. There are however products available which can make car insurance more affordable. Before driving on our country’s roads, South Africans should ask themselves if it is worth taking the risk, especially when times are tough and personal budgets are under pressure. The implications of driving without cover affect not only the uninsured party, but those who do have insurance and even the providers of insurance solutions.

Statistics indicate that every year, one in 4 people will be involved in a vehicle accident while one in every 2 people will experience a collision at least every 3 years. With 2 out of every 3 drivers being uninsured, the chance of being hit by a driver who is without insurance is high.

Impact on the uninsured

Should you get into an accident but have no insurance, the consequences can be financially devastating even if there are no injuries.

While there is damage to your own vehicle to consider, if you caused the accident, you could also be held responsible for the costs of repairing damage to the property of other people. This can be pursued by the other party in an accident, but in reality it is usually their insurance company which will seek damages.

If others are injured, you could also be sued for medical costs, pain and suffering inflicted on third parties.

Impact on the insured

If you do have insurance, but get into an accident with someone who doesn’t, there are still implications for you. Most significantly, you will have to pay an excess for any repairs which may be necessary to your vehicle and other property. Your premium could also be increased if you have had to claim, as your risk profile changes even though the accident wasn’t your fault. Some insurers also revoke the no-claim bonus; however, with MiWay, clients receive a bonus whether they claim or not.

Impact on insurers

To make their products attractive to customers, insurers work to keep their premiums as low as possible, while still ensuring sustainability. However, uninsured drivers directly impact the industry by driving up costs which often have to be passed on to customers.

Uninsured drivers who have caused an accident often cannot afford to pay for the damage. The insurer can pursue them for costs, but this in itself is an expensive exercise and in many cases, doesn’t bear fruit. After all, if someone has no money, they cannot pay.

If you are on the road, take advantage of low cost options. Some cover is better than no cover at all, so if your circumstances change, get in touch with your insurer to find out which options are available to you.

Insurance Alternatives for the uninsured

The low-cost alternatives available to uninsured drivers include:

• Third-party, fire and theft covers you for fire and theft of your car and damage to the property of others.


• Third-party only covers damages to the property of others.


• MiWay’s unique MiWheels Limited Product, which offers partial cover for your vehicle, as well as benefits such as transport money in place of car hire.

For more information on car insurance, visit www.miway.co.za

MiWay is an Authorised Financial Services Provider (Licence no: 33970)

MiWay Insurance Limited (‘MiWay’)is a direct, short-term insurance company, offering customers a range of short-term insurance products including motor, household and homeowners insurance as well as add-on products such as warranty cover and liability cover. MiWay’;s shareholder is Santam, a blue-chip JSE-listed company.

Know the cost of a car crash: What being uninsured means for the uninsured, the insured and the insurer

IRC: Uninsured Motorists a Perplexing, Pervasive Concern

A new report shows there hasn’t been significantly ground gained in the battle to reduce the quantity of uninsured motorists on the road, and there’s nowhere experts can point their fingers to as an explanation of the pervasive dilemma.

From a percentage point of view the nation’s uninsured motorist dilema is on the decline, but the undesirable news is that the price of uninsured motorist claims has risen dramatically in the previous decade, according to a report from the Insurance coverage Study Council.

The report, “Uninsured Motorists, 2014 Edition,” shows the percentage of uninsured motorists in the U.S. fell to 12.6 percent in 2012 from nearly 15 % 9 years earlier.

Even so, the report estimates that $ 2.6 billion was paid to cover uninsured motorist claims in 2012. That is a 75 percent boost more than the 2003-2012 period studied, and that figure requires into account only bodily injury payments and not property harm.

“So these are quite low estimates,” stated Patrick Schmid, the author of the report.

Stricter laws and regulations haven’t had a noticeable impact, and while there’s a temptation to blame the economy for a greater or fewer quantity of motorists buying auto insurance, there’s no clear hyperlink there either, Schmid said.

Leading up the most recent recession, researchers noted that a 1 percent jump in the nation’s unemployment price seemed to lead to a roughly .5 percent enhance in the quantity of insured motorists. Yet throughout the last recession the ratio of uninsured motorists to bodily injury claim frequencies continued trending down slightly.

“There’s absolutely some aspect of that, that is certainly relevant here,” Schmid stated, offering his opinion that economics do come into play where the uninsured motorist difficulty is concerned.

He added, “It’s some measure of the economy, whether or not it is the unemployment price or some other measure, it definitely is involved right here.”

The report shows that in some states where unemployment tends to be greater the reported uninsured motorist to bodily injury claim frequency ratios have been higher. Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, Michigan and Tennessee were all above a 20 % ratio.

Oklahoma had the highest ratio of any states at 26 percent, whilst Massachusetts had the lowest at 4 %.

Of course, some of the most populous states had the highest numbers of uninsured motorists, such as California (4.1 million), Florida (3.2 million), Texas (1.6 million), Ohio (1.3 million) and Tennessee (1.2 million), the report shows.

The report estimates that there are practically 30 million uninsured motorists in the U.S., which represent roughly 1-in-8 drivers.

Penalties for driving without insurance vary by state, but according to Schmid there’s no apparent correlation between stiffer penalties and a reduction in the percentage of uninsured motorists.

He reasoned that could be an concern where regulations could be tougher, but enforcement is not.

Regardless, with far more motorists acquiring behind the wheel as the nation’s population continues to grow, the difficulty is become a higher concern, the report states.

“Motorists who forgo purchasing insurance coverage develop a difficulty that is of fantastic concern to auto insurance coverage policyholders, insurers, regulators, and the basic public,” the report states. “In addition to paying for insurance that covers their own actions, insured drivers pay a portion of the expenses incurred by drivers without insurance coverage through uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. For insurers, costs associated with UM claims can be substantial.”

Thanks to rising healthcare costs, count on paid claims due to uninsured motorist accidents to rise, Schmid stated.

Adding a little fuel to fire up concern over the issue, Schmid noted that the decline in uninsured motorist prices could be a trend that’s becoming driven by an escalating number of motorists receiving reduce-price insurance.

“While we’ve seen that the percentage has been declining, if it is correct there are less uninsured motorists, is it feasible that the number of underinsured motorists have been increasing,” Schmid said. “May be much more folks are obtaining low-limit coverage, and that’s making the percentage of uninsured motorists fall. And some of the regulations out there might enhance the uninsured motorists difficulty but worsen the underinsured motorists issue. We’ve truly seen there’s a tiny of a tie in there.”

IRC: Uninsured Motorists a Perplexing, Pervasive Concern

Louisiana Law to Increase Costs for Uninsured Drivers Next Month

Louisiana drivers will quickly face stiffer penalties for driving with out vehicle insurance following Gov. Bobby Jindal signed Act 641 into law on Thursday.

Starting July 1, owners of uninsured cars will have their automobiles impounded and their license plates and registration revoked. The new law also increases the reinstatement charge for these products and establishes a separate minimum $ 75 fine for driving uninsured.

The following table compares the old and new reinstatement costs, which are based on the length of time the car was uninsured:

According to a legislative fiscal report, the new costs set below the law are anticipated to raise $ 53 million in additional revenue.

$ 53M in Income to Go to Verification Method, Public Safety Salaries

Element of Act 641 uses the charge hike to fund an auto insurance verification technique.

The program will use a database containing info about Louisiana auto insurance policies and drivers. It will permit authorities to check regardless of whether drivers have auto policies and verify no matter whether or not they have had lapses in coverage. The system will contain “real-time”  data for police to reference throughout traffic stops.

Some of the improved fees that are collected will go to an “Insurance Verification System Fund” that would back the “creation and maintenance” of such a database.

Uninsured motorists have faced clampdowns in other states with similar databases, which includes Maryland, Texas, Montana, and Rhode Island.

Other components of the charge hikes are marked to improve law enforcement and public security salaries and applications.

Louisiana Law to Increase Costs for Uninsured Drivers Next Month

Period that vehicle was uninsured	New reinstatement charge (efficient July 1)	Earlier charge
1-30 days	$ 100	$ 25
31-90 days	$ 250	$ 100
91 days or much more	$ 500	$ 200