Dealing with the state's growing problem of uninsured motorists

Monday, March 21st 2005, 9:42 am

By: News On 6

Mondayâ€™s rainy weather has Tulsa Police running on "Operation Slick Streets." Officers expect more car accidents when the skies get stormy and are coming to expect that more and more drivers in those accidents will be uninsured, with "insured" drivers paying the price.

It's a problem state lawmakers like Broken Arrow's John Wright have tried to tackle, but Jacki Jameson says changes can't come soon enough.

An uninsured driver ran a red light at 31st and Yale and sideswiped Jacki's car. She went over to exchange information with the driver and found out not only did the man not have insurance, but he couldn't speak English and didn't even have a driver's license.

The man got three tickets, but Jacki is stuck with repairing her car. Her insurance company estimates the accident caused $5,000 worth of damage."I'm paying for it, and I'm sure I'm not the only person this has happened to, that's why everyone needs to speak out. We need to make a difference."

Jacki has started a letter-writing campaign, trying to convince lawmakers to stiffen the penalties for uninsured drivers. Jacki says it helps keep her motivated by staying mad about it and she'll have no problem staying mad.