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Bills would toughen auto insurance rules
Keeping uninsured motorists off Kansas roadways is the goal of a pair of Senate bills that will be considered after the Legislature convenes Monday.
One bill helps the state keep better track of those who drive without required liability insurance, and the other imposes stiffer penalties for those who do.
The Department of Insurance estimates about 10 percent of the nearly 2 million licensed drivers in the state don't have the required coverage.
"We all are paying the costs of damages and injuries by uninsured motorists," said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt. "The costs are shifted to those who pay for insurance. It results in higher premiums for everyone who pays."
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 Tuesday the legislation requires insurance companies to notify the Department of Revenue when a policyholder either cancels coverage or gets a new policy. He said state computer 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.
He said the proposal is similar to a law that went into effect Jan. 1 in Kentucky, and that several other states are considering similar ideas.
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.
Under the proposal, 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 ordinary damages in a civil judgment.