Wednesday, September 27, 2006
San Diego DUI News: New law cracks down on uninsured motorists
New law cracks down on uninsured motorists
WATSONVILLE — Got liability insurance for your car?
If you don't buy it by Sunday, there's a chance that the Department of Motor Vehicles could find out and suspend your vehicle registration under a new law designed to reduce the number of uninsured motorists in the state.
At last count in 2003, there were roughly 3.4 million uninsured motorists in California, according to the Department of Insurance in Sacramento.
The new state law aims to reduce those numbers, which are on the rise due to more motorists on the road, according to the DMV.
The law, which passed in both houses of the state Legislature during the 2004 session, was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2004 and went into effect in January 2006.
But it's just now being enforced because it took more than two years to create the database that automatically notifies DMV when motorists either fail to renew their insurance policies or neglect to buy insurance for a new vehicle.
In Watsonville, many uninsured motorists or those who have just bought new cars have been making mad dashes to insurance brokers around town to make sure they comply with the law before it takes effect.
"We're averaging between 10 and 20 customers a day," said an elated Leticia Klay of Leticia Klay Insurance Services on Freedom Boulevard. "A lot of the people we insure don't drive very far so we've been able to get them some pretty cheap policies. Basically, they just want to get to and from work without running some sort of risk."
The author of the legislation is state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, who also was instrumental in passing an Assembly bill when she served as an assemblywoman in 1997 that requires all California motorists to carry proof of insurance while driving.
Since 1979, buying car insurance has been state law, but the problem has always been getting people to heed it, said Speier spokeswoman Tracy Fairchild.
Some motorists have been known to buy insurance merely to register their vehicles, only to cancel the policy after they were registered, Fairchild said.
"Too many people have learned how to game the system," she said.
Since the 1997 law requiring proof of insurance was passed, however, accidents involving uninsured motorists have dropped to 13 percent from 25 percent, Fairchild said.
"This is the final loophole and it basically entails the sharing of data between the insurance companies and the DMV," Fairchild said. "It shows that you have insurance. It's in the computer. All police officers have access to it now. And if your insurance lapses, then the insurance company automatically notifies DMV."
According to the DMV, policyholders will have 45 days to reinstate their policies after they've been canceled, and the owners of new vehicles have 30 days to provide proof of insurance.
"The intent of the law is to get more uninsured motorists off the road and that, in turn, could hopefully lead to cheaper premiums," said Mike Miller, a DMV spokesman in Sacramento.
The slogan of the new law sounds a lot like a "Don't Drink and Drive" advertisement.
"Insure it or lose it," so the slogan goes. "It's the law."
The fear of the new law is driving many Watsonville residents to Klay's auto insurance business.
"It's only right to be insured," said Daisy Fernandez, who purchased a policy through Klay on Tuesday for a used Honda Accord she recently bought. "My husband was in an accident a couple of years ago and the people who hit him were uninsured and they ended up taking off from the scene because of it. We learned the hard way."
In 2005, 19,146 people statewide were convicted of driving without insurance after being involved in crashes, said the DMV's Miller.
In 2004, the number of uninsured motorists involved in accidents was 17,987.
San Diego DUI Lawyer - San Diego Attorney Drunk Driving / San Diego DWI Lawyer can help you beat the charge: http://www.SanDiegoDUIhelp.com .
San Diego DUI Lawyer Rick Mueller, a San Diego Drunk Driving / DWI Defense Attorney handling San Diego California DUI & DMV cases, shows how a San Diego DUI Lawyer will help you. http://www.SanDiegoDUILawyer.com
San Diego DUI Lawyer - San Diego Attorney Drunk Driving / San Diego DWI Lawyer can help you beat the San Diego drunk driving charge: http://www.SanDiegoDUIhelp.com .
San Diego DUI Lawyer - San Diego Attorney Drunk Driving / San Diego DWI Lawyer can help you beat the charge: http://www.SanDiegoDUIlawyer.com .
San Diego DUI Lawyer Rick Mueller, a San Diego Drunk Driving / DWI Defense Attorney handling San Diego California DUI & DMV cases, shows how a San Diego DUI Lawyer will help you. http://www.SanDiegoDUI.com
http://www.sandiegodui.com/survey.html
http://www.sandiegodui.com
http://www.sandiegoduihelp.com
http://www.sandiegoduilawyer.com
http://www.1800thelawdui.com
WATSONVILLE — Got liability insurance for your car?
If you don't buy it by Sunday, there's a chance that the Department of Motor Vehicles could find out and suspend your vehicle registration under a new law designed to reduce the number of uninsured motorists in the state.
At last count in 2003, there were roughly 3.4 million uninsured motorists in California, according to the Department of Insurance in Sacramento.
The new state law aims to reduce those numbers, which are on the rise due to more motorists on the road, according to the DMV.
The law, which passed in both houses of the state Legislature during the 2004 session, was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2004 and went into effect in January 2006.
But it's just now being enforced because it took more than two years to create the database that automatically notifies DMV when motorists either fail to renew their insurance policies or neglect to buy insurance for a new vehicle.
In Watsonville, many uninsured motorists or those who have just bought new cars have been making mad dashes to insurance brokers around town to make sure they comply with the law before it takes effect.
"We're averaging between 10 and 20 customers a day," said an elated Leticia Klay of Leticia Klay Insurance Services on Freedom Boulevard. "A lot of the people we insure don't drive very far so we've been able to get them some pretty cheap policies. Basically, they just want to get to and from work without running some sort of risk."
The author of the legislation is state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, who also was instrumental in passing an Assembly bill when she served as an assemblywoman in 1997 that requires all California motorists to carry proof of insurance while driving.
Since 1979, buying car insurance has been state law, but the problem has always been getting people to heed it, said Speier spokeswoman Tracy Fairchild.
Some motorists have been known to buy insurance merely to register their vehicles, only to cancel the policy after they were registered, Fairchild said.
"Too many people have learned how to game the system," she said.
Since the 1997 law requiring proof of insurance was passed, however, accidents involving uninsured motorists have dropped to 13 percent from 25 percent, Fairchild said.
"This is the final loophole and it basically entails the sharing of data between the insurance companies and the DMV," Fairchild said. "It shows that you have insurance. It's in the computer. All police officers have access to it now. And if your insurance lapses, then the insurance company automatically notifies DMV."
According to the DMV, policyholders will have 45 days to reinstate their policies after they've been canceled, and the owners of new vehicles have 30 days to provide proof of insurance.
"The intent of the law is to get more uninsured motorists off the road and that, in turn, could hopefully lead to cheaper premiums," said Mike Miller, a DMV spokesman in Sacramento.
The slogan of the new law sounds a lot like a "Don't Drink and Drive" advertisement.
"Insure it or lose it," so the slogan goes. "It's the law."
The fear of the new law is driving many Watsonville residents to Klay's auto insurance business.
"It's only right to be insured," said Daisy Fernandez, who purchased a policy through Klay on Tuesday for a used Honda Accord she recently bought. "My husband was in an accident a couple of years ago and the people who hit him were uninsured and they ended up taking off from the scene because of it. We learned the hard way."
In 2005, 19,146 people statewide were convicted of driving without insurance after being involved in crashes, said the DMV's Miller.
In 2004, the number of uninsured motorists involved in accidents was 17,987.
San Diego DUI Lawyer - San Diego Attorney Drunk Driving / San Diego DWI Lawyer can help you beat the charge: http://www.SanDiegoDUIhelp.com .
San Diego DUI Lawyer Rick Mueller, a San Diego Drunk Driving / DWI Defense Attorney handling San Diego California DUI & DMV cases, shows how a San Diego DUI Lawyer will help you. http://www.SanDiegoDUILawyer.com
San Diego DUI Lawyer - San Diego Attorney Drunk Driving / San Diego DWI Lawyer can help you beat the San Diego drunk driving charge: http://www.SanDiegoDUIhelp.com .
San Diego DUI Lawyer - San Diego Attorney Drunk Driving / San Diego DWI Lawyer can help you beat the charge: http://www.SanDiegoDUIlawyer.com .
San Diego DUI Lawyer Rick Mueller, a San Diego Drunk Driving / DWI Defense Attorney handling San Diego California DUI & DMV cases, shows how a San Diego DUI Lawyer will help you. http://www.SanDiegoDUI.com
http://www.sandiegodui.com/survey.html
http://www.sandiegodui.com
http://www.sandiegoduihelp.com
http://www.sandiegoduilawyer.com
http://www.1800thelawdui.com
# posted by SanDiegoDUI @ 8:00 PM 
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