License Plate Readers To ID Oklahoma Drivers Without Insurance

Oklahoma district attorneys are preparing to roll out new license plate readers, that will scan your plates and send you a notice if you don't have vehicle insurance.  

The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council confirms they don't have a start date for this program yet, but it will involve putting 12 to 24 license-plate reading cameras - also called Automated Licensed Plate Readers - in high-traffic areas around Oklahoma. 

The exact number of cameras and location haven't yet been determined. 

They say the new cameras will snap thousands of pictures a day and if you don't have insurance, they will send a letter to the address linked to the car, telling you to contact the District Attorneys Council to address the problem.

The council says this is not a citation, and they say the point is to take care of the insurance problem without facing a criminal charge or an official citation on your record.

Trent Baggett, Executive Director of the District Attorneys Council, said those who don’t have insurance will be assessed a $184 fee. That includes $10 that is earmarked for maintenance and upgrades to the OCIVS program, $5 to the DAC for processing and $5 for the Law Enforcement Pension fund.

The council says this is part of a state law meant to cut down on Oklahoma's uninsured drivers. 

Based on a 2015 report from the Insurance Research Council, Oklahoma was number one in the USA for the ratio of uninsured motorist claims frequency to bodily injury claims frequency. Oklahoma was reported at 25.9 percent, according to the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council. 

Number two was Florida at 23.8 percent. The high number of uninsured motorists on Oklahoma roads is a major factor in trying to address this issue in this way, the ODAC said.