Friday, October 3, 2008
You can be sure that ‘Texas Sure’ is now up and operating, bringing an end to elaborate scams which hundreds of thousands of Texans have been using for years to get around the state’s compulsory insurance law, 1200 WOAI news reports.
“Texas Sure” is an on line data base which will be available to every police officer in Texas, which will instantly tell them if a car registered to a certain license plate number has valid insurance.
The program has been elaborately tested for the past several months, according to Tom Vinger of DPS.
“It may take a while for the various police agencies to acclimate to the system and customize their software, but DPS officers are now using it statewide,” Vinger said.
The law does not allow police officers to pull over vehicles specifically for not having insurance, but if you are pulled over for another reason the system will instantly inform the officer that you are violating the state’s mandatory insurance law, which has been in place since 1994.
“Now law enforcement statewide will have access to this data base, and that will be bad news for uninsured drivers,” Vinger said.
Texas motorists use a myriad of scams to get around the law requiring every car on the highway to have minimum limits of liability coverage. Phony insurance cards are easy to obtain, and frequently motorists will buy an insurance policy for one week, and use that proof of insurance to renew their registration. Another scam involves buying a traditional insurance policy, obtaining the insurance card, and then not paying the premium, allowing the policy to lapse.
In many jurisdictions, including San Antonio, police have the authority to tow away drivers who are found to be violating the mandatory insurance law.
Cars will be impounded, and drivers are required to pay the towing and storage fee, as well as show proof of insurance, before getting the car back, a very expensive proposition.
It has been estimated that as many as one third of all Texas motorists do not have insurance, and that percentage rises to 50% or more in counties bordering the Rio Grande.
The system does not free motorists from the legal requirement that they carry their proof of insurance cards in their car at all times, as police will still ask to see it.
Source: radio.woai.com |
