Governor Brad Henry Signs Bill To Impound Uninsured Vehicles

NewsOn6.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – No car insurance?  You may end up paying more to get your car out of impound, after Governor Brad Henry signed legislation allowing law enforcement agencies to impound vehicles driven by uninsured drivers.

House Bill 2331 was sponsored Representative Steve Martin, a Republican from Bartlesville, and Senator Gary Stanislawski, a Republican from Tulsa.

"I am proud to see this legislation become law, said Rep. Martin. "It will get uninsured motorists off the road so that those motorists who do obey the law will have one less thing to worry about."

5/28/2010 Related Story: Bill Allowing Uninsured Vehicles In Oklahoma To Be Impounded Sent To Governor

The House Bill takes advantage of a recently activated instant-verification system that allows officers to immediately determine if vehicles are covered by qualifying liability insurance.

Under House Bill 2331, if a car is uninsured, it could be seized immediately by the officer and towed to an impoundment lot until the owner of the vehicle can produce proof of ownership, proof of insurance, and a valid driver's license.

Upon paying for the tow and any storage, the vehicle can be redeemed.

The law goes into effect on November 1, 2010.

"It has been estimated that one in four cars on Oklahoma roads has no liability insurance in spite of our mandatory insurance law," Martin said.

"My hope is that this new law will reduce the number of victims of these uninsured motorists."