For millions of responsible Texans forking out almost $900 million per year, in insurance, to self-protect against those people driving without mandatory insurance coverage there may soon be some relief.

In an effort to reduce the number of uninsured motorists in the State of Texas, an automated insurance verification program was launched in June 2008. This new database, quickly and easily, identifies these lawbreakers.

TexasSure (the database) now matches registered Texas passenger vehicles records with the personal auto insurance policy data on-file with over 200 insurance companies in Texas.

It is hoped that the implementation of this technology will assist law enforcement officers to verify, immediately, whether or not a driver has auto insurance. It is currently estimated that the number of uninsured vehicles in the State of Texas is approximately 4 million!

By Texas law, a motor vehicle cannot be operated unless the motorist has financial responsibility established for the vehicle, primarily, auto insurance.

The current law requires that drivers have coverage of at least $25,000 per injured person; $50,000 per injured person involved in an accident, and property damage of $25,000.

It is estimated that somewhere between 15-20% of Texans do not have auto insurance. That is one in five drivers!

For driving without liability insurance, the first conviction could result in a fine between $175 and $350. Subsequent convictions could include fines of $350 to $1,000, suspension of driver’s license and/or impoundment of your vehicle.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), at least 30 other states have implemented insurance verification programs, successfully reducing the number of uninsured motorists.

The goal in Texas is to significantly relieve the aggravation that responsible drivers endure from the expense caused by uninsured motorists. And, to encourage Texan drivers to keep their insurance information up-to-date; VIN numbers matching the information on their insurance cards.

The Texas Financial Responsibility Verification Program is a joint project developed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), by implementing the program they anticipate lowering the uninsured motorist rate in Texas.

Beware! More than a dozen cities in Texas have passed ordinances that allow law enforcement officers to have a vehicle towed and impounded if the driver cannot show proof of insurance.

Those drivers who legitimately hold auto insurance policies need not be concerned as long as they continue to carry current proof of insurance cards, as required by law. Policy information will be sent each week to the TexasSure vendor where it will be matched to TxDOT’s vehicle registration records.

So… if the thought of fooling a law enforcement officer crosses your mind, think again! If you are pulled over and show false proof of insurance, the verification of insurance database will surely make a fool of you!

Driving without insurance is NOT an option! So Get Insured!!