Insurance: Enforce law
by EDITOR - News Star (excerpt)

Gov. Kathleen Blanco's message as she vetoed legislation increasing the minimum coverage required for driving vehicles in Louisiana highlights a serious underlying issue.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, who encouraged Blanco to sign the bill because the minimum doesn't provide enough coverage to pay the rising cost of repairs and medical care of those injured in collisions, said about 10 percent of Louisiana's drivers have no insurance. About 40 percent have the minimum.

But that number is only an estimate. According to the annual report on uninsured motorists issued by the Insurance Research Council, if you're injured in an auto accident, your chances are about one in seven that the at-fault driver has no insurance.

While the issue is most likely an economic one for the motorist who purchases insurance to be able to obtain a driver's license or register a vehicle and then lets the policy lapse six months later, more can be done to ensure compliance.

Increased liability limits are needed. But full compliance with existing insurance coverage law is essential.