Ohio Auto Insurance Verification Program
Sunday, February 13th, 2011According to the press release “Legislators Take Aim at Ohio Auto Insurance Verification Program” found on OnlinePRNews.com, Ohio state representative Matt Huffman re-introduced a bill that would stop an auto insurance verification program given by the state of Ohio.
The Random Selection program has sent out letters to car owners who are asked to mail in proof of auto insurance to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles since 1998. The point of the program was to cut down on the number of uninsured drivers on the road. If the person did not respond within 90 days their license was suspended and they had to pay a fine. Based on a report from the Columbus Dispatch, approximately 5400 letters were sent out weekly and about 500 of those did not carry auto insurance.
The Insurance Research Council says that about 16% of Ohio drivers were uninsured in 2007 and that number is believed to have risen since unemployment has risen steadily throughout the state. This may mean that the verification program is not effective in which case the BMV could save a lot of time and money by cutting back on the program. Rep Huffman advised a panel that there were some unfair instances related to the mailings and this type of problem could be resolved fixing or eliminating the program.
