Uninsured Drivers

Perhaps The Times could do all of Los Angeles' insured drivers a service by printing the names of the judges who refuse to levy penalties against uninsured motorists, so that we may vote them out of office in the next election ("Car Insurance for Poor May Be Tested in County," Sept. 3). Poor drivers are not "forced" to drive uninsured; if they can't afford insurance, they can't afford to drive and should be walking or riding the bus. Police also need to ticket the numerous drivers with expired license plates I see every day, as I suspect these are also likely to be the drivers without insurance.

The campaign in favor of Proposition 33 has been so consistently misleading, it's almost pointless to keep criticizing the measure's supporters for warping the facts. Nevertheless, an advertisement Monday in favor of the measure makes a point that bears rebutting before voters head to the polls. The proposition would allow auto insurers to offer discounts to drivers who'd been insured by rival companies, offset by surcharges on new customers who'd been uninsured or whose coverage had lapsed.

The campaign in favor of Proposition 33 has been so consistently misleading, it's almost pointless to keep criticizing the measure's supporters for warping the facts. Nevertheless, an advertisement Monday in favor of the measure makes a point that bears rebutting before voters head to the polls. The proposition would allow auto insurers to offer discounts to drivers who'd been insured by rival companies, offset by surcharges on new customers who'd been uninsured or whose coverage had lapsed.

The debate over whether to offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants has a usefully neurological angle: It's a way of defining "insanity" as the process of shooting yourself in the foot in the expectation that someone else will scream in pain. The people who are supposedly afflicted with the pain are undocumented immigrants, who are theoretically deprived of the right to drive on our roads. The injury inflicted on society arises from the fact that many of the supposed targets of this punishment drive anyway.

This city is ready to drop a hammer on uninsured drivers. The City Council is expected in two weeks to pass an ordinance that will allow police to impound a driver's vehicle until proof of insurance is furnished and towing and storage fees are paid. Authorities say the measure is part of a crackdown on gangs, cruisers and uninsured motorists in general.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles has been underestimating the number of uninsured motorists in California for years and now believes that it is close to 5 million, or about 25% of the state's drivers, DMV Director Del Pierce said Thursday. Previous DMV estimates had put the uninsured rate at about 15%. But Pierce said recent reports from an outside consultant and new statistical analyses by DMV researchers had led to the higher figure.

Millions of uninsured drivers in California could have their license plates yanked or their cars immobilized as part of a crackdown being considered by Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. Poizner is huddling with his political advisors and consulting potential allies about putting an initiative on the November 2008 ballot. The measure would give law enforcement broad new powers to go after those who flout the law by driving without insurance.

Since Oct. 1, the Department of Motor Vehicles has notified more than 180,000 car owners in California that it is moving to suspend their auto registrations because their cars are uninsured. Hundreds of thousands more suspension warnings are expected to go out in the months ahead as the state's latest crackdown on uninsured motorists moves into high gear.

The debate over whether to offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants has a usefully neurological angle: It's a way of defining "insanity" as the process of shooting yourself in the foot in the expectation that someone else will scream in pain. The people who are supposedly afflicted with the pain are undocumented immigrants, who are theoretically deprived of the right to drive on our roads. The injury inflicted on society arises from the fact that many of the supposed targets of this punishment drive anyway.

Re: "Premiums may be set by actual mileage," June 27: Why not pay at the pump for the minimum insurance coverage, then let motorists pay for more coverage through their insurance companies? It would be easier than paying a lump sum once or twice a year, would save the money that an inspection would require and, most important, would collect and maintain insurance for illegal drivers without insurance. We would all see our insurance rates nose-dive. And we wouldn't have to worry about being hit by uninsured drivers.

Like their counterparts in cities across Colorado, Denver police decide when to seize cars from people they find driving without licenses. Sometimes they issue a ticket and let a relative take the car home; other times, they call a tow company. But officers stand to lose that discretion as voters on Tuesday will consider a measure that would mandate authorities to impound vehicles driven by unlicensed motorists -- an initiative pushed by a local man who says law enforcement isn't doing its job of ridding city streets of unsafe, uninsured drivers.

Re: "Premiums may be set by actual mileage," June 27: Why not pay at the pump for the minimum insurance coverage, then let motorists pay for more coverage through their insurance companies? It would be easier than paying a lump sum once or twice a year, would save the money that an inspection would require and, most important, would collect and maintain insurance for illegal drivers without insurance. We would all see our insurance rates nose-dive. And we wouldn't have to worry about being hit by uninsured drivers.

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has halted a ballot initiative drive that would have empowered authorities to seize the license plates from vehicles belonging to drivers who had no auto insurance. Poizner launched the campaign late last year, saying strong action was needed to take off the road the estimated 25% of drivers who fail to comply with California's mandatory auto insurance law.

Uninsured motorists who ignore warnings from the state to buy coverage could have their license plates pulled by police officers under an initiative proposed by California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. Poizner submitted papers with the attorney general's office Thursday to start the process that would allow him to gather signatures to put the measure before voters in the November 2008 election.

Millions of uninsured drivers in California could have their license plates yanked or their cars immobilized as part of a crackdown being considered by Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. Poizner is huddling with his political advisors and consulting potential allies about putting an initiative on the November 2008 ballot. The measure would give law enforcement broad new powers to go after those who flout the law by driving without insurance.

Since Oct. 1, the Department of Motor Vehicles has notified more than 180,000 car owners in California that it is moving to suspend their auto registrations because their cars are uninsured. Hundreds of thousands more suspension warnings are expected to go out in the months ahead as the state's latest crackdown on uninsured motorists moves into high gear.

Consumers Union and the Southern Leadership Conference have filed suit to block the Southern California Auto Club from raising rates 30% for uninsured drivers seeking coverage, claiming it violates Prop. 103 rules. The suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court wants the State Department of Insurance to reverse its approval of the hike and to stop other insurers from doing the same. An Auto Club spokeswoman said the insurer is simply following the practices of other major insurers.

California insurance companies can't charge higher rates for drivers who previously didn't have coverage, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday in a case brought by consumer activists. The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles found that Mercury Insurance's awarding of so-called persistency discounts to motorists who had automobile liability policies with Mercury or other insurers violated Proposition 103, the landmark auto insurance initiative approved by voters in 1988.

Seven years ago, when anti-immigrant sentiment ran high in California, the Legislature passed a law requiring driver's license applicants to provide a Social Security number and proof of legal U.S. residency. Then-Gov. Pete Wilson and the sponsors of the bill simplistically and falsely reasoned that denying a driver's license would not only deter illegal immigrants from driving but would push some of them back home.