New Texas database to help catch car insurance scofflaws

By Erin Quinn

It just got harder for the more than 4 million drivers in Texas who either don’t have insurance or carry a phony insurance card to try to pull a fast one over law enforcement, state officials say.

Last week, the state launched a database that allows officers to instantly check whether drivers are insured.

“If you don’t have liability insurance for your vehicle, your chances of getting a ticket just went up dramatically,” said Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Louis Sanchez.

Statewide, all DPS officers already are using the database, said DPS spokesman Tom Vinger.

Within a couple of weeks, Waco police will begin checking insurance with the system after the department’s administration has decided how and when the database will be used, officer Steve Anderson said.

McLennan County Sheriff Larry Lynch and Chief Deputy Randy Plemons did not return repeated phone calls to say whether the department will use the system.

Anderson said the database will be helpful in catching drivers who make one insurance payment to get an insurance card and then cancel their policies.

Vinger said people who carry phony insurance or have no insurance are more of a problem than some might think. The state estimates one in five drivers is not insured.

“People who have insurance have long wanted something done about it,” Vinger said. “This is the first step in being more aggressive in tackling the problem.”

Using the database, officers can instantly find information about the driver’s insurance by typing in the vehicle’s identification or license plate numbers. Vinger said traffic stops will not take more time because of the database.

Anderson and Vinger said officers will not use the database to initiate traffic stops.

Driving without liability insurance carries a maximum fine of $350. Repeat offenders could lose their licenses for up to two years.

Drivers still must carry their insurance card with them, as it remains illegal in Texas not to carry the card.

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