Two tough bills to keep uninsured motorists off Kansas roadways will be on the agenda for consideration when the Kansas legislature convenes this January. The first bill promises to help the state keep better track of uninsured motorists and the other imposes stiffer punishments for those who drive without insurance.
The Kansas Department of Insurance estimates about 10 percent of the nearly 2 million licensed drivers in the state don’t have the required coverage, an Associated Press story said.
Senate leaders said that all motorists pay the costs of damages and injuries by uninsured motorists and those costs are shifted to those who pay for their own insurance.
The bills are sponsored by Schmidt, R-Independence, and Sen. Ruth Teichman, R-Stafford, who heads the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.
Schmidt said that the legislation requires insurance companies to notify the Department of Revenue when a policyholder either cancels coverage or gets a new policy.
State computers now can track the changes to find those who canceled a policy but didn’t get a new one.
“The technology has reached the point where we can do this without hassling the driver,” Schmidt said.
According to Schmidt the proposed law is similar to a law that went into effect Jan. 1 in Kentucky. He added that a number of other states are considering similar legislation.
The other bill provides tougher civil and criminal penalties for motorists who intentionally drive without insurance. Currently, first-time offenders face fines from $300 to $1,000, plus the loss of car tags and driver’s license, both of which can be reinstated by paying a fee and showing proof of insurance.
The new proposal would mandate that a third conviction of driving without insurance would be a felony rather than misdemeanor, and if an uninsured motorist kills someone in a traffic accident, the charge would be murder instead of manslaughter, Schmidt said.
He said a person injured by an uninsured motorist could get triple damages instead of damages in a civil judgment.
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