HEADS UP, KENTUCKY!
New State Law Aims to Get Uninsured Motorists off our Roads
LOUISVILLE, KY (December 12, 2005) - Automobile liability insurance is mandatory in Kentucky, and has been for at least two decades. Still, despite that requirement, many motorists have opted to drive without liability insurance on their personal vehicles. House Bill 29 is designed to put the brakes on uninsured drivers by enabling officials to compare vehicle registration information with vehicle insurance databases to identify people, all across the Commonwealth, who drive uninsured vehicles.
At a press conference in Louisville today, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, along with a representative from the Kentucky General Assembly, and the County Clerk in Kentucky's most populous county, announced the implementation of House Bill 29 (HB29) will begin on New Year's Day.
"Our goal is pure and simple," said Roy Mundy, Commissioner of the Department of Vehicle Regulation. "We intend to take uninsured vehicles off of Kentucky Roads. House Bill 29 provides us with the indispensable tools for identification of those vehicles." "People who have not obeyed existing law, and have not carried liability insurance on their vehicles, will no longer have the 'free ride' which they have enjoyed far too long."
Jefferson County Clerk, Bobbie Holsclaw, who was the primary proponent of HB29, said "I am pleased to be a part of the team of professionals who are responsible for the passage of House Bill 29. Passage of this bill will also prove to be an effective way to deliver more automobile renewal options to the citizens of Jefferson County and the entire Commonwealth."
Because of the technology employed to use the HB29 database, Kentuckians will gain the additional benefit of being able to renew their passenger vehicle registration online. That service will be available later in 2006. "More efficiency and convenience in government is always a step in the right direction," added Ms. Holsclaw.
State Representative Ron Crimm (R-Louisville), was the sponsor of HB29. He told the audience at today's event, "I want to thank our Jefferson County Clerk, Bobbie Holsclaw, for suggesting this legislation and for supporting me during the two-year period required for its passage. "My thanks, as well, to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the role they are playing in the complicated process of taking HB 29 from the pages of the bill and translating it into a smoothly functioning system which will benefit so many Kentuckians."
Once HB 29 is fully functional, in the Spring of 2006, law enforcement agencies all across the state will also have instant access to the online information about uninsured vehicles. "With HB29, police can get instant verification that insurance is in force on any given vehicle," said Representative Crimm.
Under HB29, every insurance company that sells automobile insurance in Kentucky will be required to submit, on a monthly basis, their Full Book of Business. That information will enable the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing to monitor all uninsured personal vehicles in the state. HB29 was passed by the legislature in 2004.
Miranda Thacker
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Office of Public Affairs
(502) 564-3419
miranda.thacker@ky.gov