Uninsured under watch

It’s a scene that many Texans find all too familiar.

A collision. A quick check for your safety. A chat with the other driver. And an awkward silence when the subject of insurance comes up.

Four years ago, the state Legislature ordered several state agencies to create a database that would allow law enforcement officials to quickly identify whether

drivers are properly insured.

The move was prompted by the estimated 20 percent of vehicles in Texas that are not covered by insurance to the extent required by law.

The program, called TexasSure, has just passed its one-year anniversary. State officials are marking the occasion by again warning Texans to stop driving without the proper insurance, since law enforcement can easily check a driver’s insurance status.

“It’s to remind folks they really need to get their act together,” said Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Folks driving around without insurance need to understand it’s a lot easier to check now.”

DPS oversees driver licensing and motor vehicle registration in the state. The agency developed the TexasSure program together with the state’s Insurance, Transportation and Information Resources departments.

The database contains up-to-date information from more than 200 insurance companies on the insurance status of more than 21 million registered Texas vehicles. Mexican license plates are not included in the database.

The system helps detect whether people are trying to misrepresent themselves.

For example, some drivers take out a short-term insurance policy and then cancel it upon receiving their insurance card. With an insurance card in hand, they can create the appearance of being insured drivers, even though they aren’t.

Other drivers sign up for insurance so they can register their vehicles, only to cancel it immediately afterward.

“This (database) directly eliminates that possibility,” said Jerry Hagins, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance.

Local tax offices can check the database to verify insurance when a motorist renews his vehicle registration, and law enforcement can check it after a collision or during a routine traffic stop.

Ostensibly, TexasSure dramatically increases the odds of an uninsured driver getting ticketed.

But one thing remains unclear a year after the system was implemented: Is the database actually reducing the number of uninsured drivers?

Despite an initial $7 million investment in the system, and an estimated $2 million in annual upkeep, DPS officials say they don’t track the program’s effectiveness.

Mange called TexasSure “an excellent tool for law enforcement” but conceded her agency doesn’t have any metrics to measure how well the program works.

Hagins, likewise, said the Department of Insurance has not yet tried to determine the system’s effectiveness either.

About 3 million searches of the database are made each month, according to his department.

Hagins said the state spent a year developing the system and is pleased with the results.

“We’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how accurate the database is,” he said, adding that the information is updated weekly and is 99 percent accurate.

But McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez has some reservations about TexasSure’s efficacy.

“There are some issues with it,” he said, noting the database can falsely indicate an insured motorist lacks coverage or that an uninsured driver does have coverage.

“The point I’m saying is, it’s a tool as opposed to definitive,” the chief said. “It’s not 100 percent accurate all the time.”

Hagins also said the state doesn’t have estimates on the number of uninsured vehicles in Hidalgo County, though agency officials are culling through TexasSure data and may have more localized figures available in coming weeks.

DPS issued 10,843 citations last year in the Rio Grande Valley to motorists for failing to have proof of insurance.

More than 30 states have databases that help identify uninsured vehicles.

Hagins said the state didn’t expect the database to have an effect on the number of uninsured drivers within its first year.

“We are encouraged by the fact that, over time, every state that we’ve looked at (with a database) saw a significant decrease in uninsured drivers,” he said. “That’s an indication to us that we’re on the right track.”

By law, Texans must carry liability insurance that covers up to $50,000 for injured passengers and $25,000 for property damage.

Driving without proper liability insurance carries a fine of up to $350 plus court costs and other fees. Repeat offenders may have their licenses suspended.

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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.