As uninsured drivers grow, a crackdown is needed

As uninsured drivers grow, a crackdown is needed

An Associated Press story reports that one of the casualties of the bad economy in Ohio is automobile insurance coverage.

And that means that inevitably a lot of other people will end up paying the price when they are involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. Indeed, we all end up paying, because if medical treatment for injuries suffered in accidents are not covered by insurance, hospitals eventually pass those losses along to people or companies that pay their medical bills.

It is an intolerable burden for society to absorb. Part of the problem is Ohio’s relatively weak mandatory insurance law.

Coverage rates in the state are decreasing despite the fact that Ohio has one of the lowest demands for coverage and, consequently a relatively low average premium. An Ohio driver only needs to carry insurance to cover $7,500 in property damage and $12,500 for injuries or death of an individual. In 2006, Ohio drivers paid about $654 a year in premiums, the 13th lowest among the states.

It has long been recognized that as unemployment goes up, insurance coverage goes down. People make choices as to what they can and cannot afford. But if a driver can afford to own, maintain and put gasoline in a car, he or she must recognize that carrying at least a minimum of insurance coverage is not optional.

A study by the Insurance Research Council, a Pennsylvania group supported by the industry, estimates that for every percentage point increase in unemployment, the rate of uninsured drivers rises by three-fourths of a percentage point. In 2007, Ohio had an uninsured rate of about 16 percent, among the 10 highest in the nation.

Shifting responsibility

While anyone can be sympathetic toward someone who has lost his or her job, the reality is that uninsured motorists unfairly drive up the costs for people who carry insurance. Prudent motorists are inclined to carry higher coverage limits and pay extra for uninsured motorist coverage. That way, if they are involved in a collision with an irresponsible uninsured driver, they’ll have some protection from their own insurance company.

Ohio requires every driver to have minimum coverage, but drivers are only required to show proof if they are stopped for a traffic offense, involved in a reported accident or receive a request for proof of insurance from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Such requests are mailed out at random to a small number of motorists.

Scofflaws are subject only to civil penalties, which include loss of driving privileges or revocation of license plates or vehicle registration. Drivers or vehicle owners are subject to reinstatement fees.

Many other states attach criminal penalties to driving without insurance. One of the toughest is Massachusetts, which carries fines of up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail. Montana has fines of up to $500 and 10 days in jail for the uninsured.

It’s unlikely that Ohio will toughen up its auto insurance statutes any time soon. But in the meantime, courts should be assiduous in forwarding information on violators to the BMV, and the BMV should follow up quickly to suspend drivers licenses and license plates. And when drivers who have lost their licenses and are brought back into court for a subsequent violation or accident, the municipal or county court judge should show them no mercy.