Texas Database for Uninsured Drivers

Statistics estimate that 1 out of every 5 vehicles on the roads in Texas has no automobile insurance. Recently the Texas legislature directed key departments such as the Department of Insurance, Department of Public Safety, Department of Transportation, and Department of Information Resources to create a program called the "TexasSure" system. According to the TexasSure website, this new program aims to put an end to uninsured motorists, drivers dropping coverage after receiving a valid insurance card, and fraudulent insurance cards. I says it's about time they are trying to doing something about uninsured drivers!

TexasSure is a vehicle insurance verification system which has a database that contains information on every registered vehicle in Texas. That information is then matched with data submitted to the state from insurance companies. The database is then accessible to law enforcement and tax assessor-collectors so they can verify whether a car has the required auto insurance. So if a police officer stops a motorist and checks the database and discovers the person doesn't have proper coverage, the driver will face penalties such as fines or having their drivers license suspsended. Also, when it comes time to renew car tags, the workers at the tax assessor-collector office can access the database to see whether or not the owner of the car is insured. No insurance? No car tags!

I seriously doubt this will stop drivers from getting behind the wheel without insurance, but I am overjoyed that Texas is finally trying to ensure everyone on the road has car insurance. My family has been bitten numerous times by having our car hit by someone driving without insurance - which meant we were left holding the bag to get our car repaired and/or pay hospital bills for injuries because of the wreck. We either had to cough up the money out of pocket, or tap into our own car insurance coverage to pay for the damages. This meant our insurance rates went up - all because some irresponsible person was behind the wheel of a car without having car insurance. One of my son's was hit twice in the same month by an uninsured driver and both were hit and run cases. The person who hit him was identified by witnesses and the police tracked the offender down only to discover they were an illegal alien who had fled back to their homeland. My oldest son was hit by a lady who ran a red light and she was in a rent car. The police were called to the scene of the accident but didn't file a report because no one was injured. The woman who hit him supposedly had coverage through the rental car company but the rental car company claimed they could not locate her and it was her word against my son's as to who was at fault. We ended up having filing with our own insurance company to repair the damages to my son's car.

I hope this new TexasSure program works! It appears to be a good tool that will give authorities pertinent information so they can place penalties on those who are non-compliant with auto insurance laws.

I says it's about time the law abiding citizens who do whatever it takes to make sure they have car insurance quit having to foot the bill for those who disobey the law. I understand that the economy is bad and people are struggling to make ends meet ... but if someone can't afford coverage then they should not be driving. Now it's time for the government to look at the high cost of insurance and finds ways to make it affordable ... but that is an entirely different story I'll save for later.

Source: www.TexasSure.com