Oklahoma Law Limits Fines for Failure to Show Proof of Auto Insurance
Legislation now signed into law by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin will keep some motorists with insurance from receiving a fine when they fail to carry their insurance verification form.
House Bill 2473, by state Rep. Ken Walker, would remove the penalty for failure to show proof of insurance in instances in which an officer is able to verify a person’s insurance. He said that law enforcement currently has access to a person’s insurance coverage when they look up the person’s tag or vehicle identification number.
“I think we all have forgotten our wallet or jumped in our spouse’s car and accidently failed to have our insurance verification form on us,” said Walker, R-Tulsa. “It’s a universal mistake and one that should not carry a fine when law enforcement has access to a database to verify insurance.”
Walker said his legislation allows for a fine in instances where law enforcement cannot verify insurance through a database.
“This doesn’t do away with the need to carry an insurance verification form,” Walker said. “It basically just provides grace to law-abiding citizens for a simple mistake. That grace does require that their insurance can be verified through a database.”
Source: Oklahoma Legislature