02/15/2012 (press release: [email protected]) // Columbia, South Carolina // Benjamin Zitney
A bill introduced to the South Carolina Legislature would make it so that drivers who don’t have car insurance coverage could get slapped with fines and a handful of towing and storage fees if they get caught on the road, according to Online Auto Insurance.
House Bill 4446, sponsored by Rep. Tom Corbin, would require police to impound the cars of drivers who cannot provide proof of insurance coverage when stopped.
The owner of the vehicle would then be fined $350 and would have to pay for any fees related to the towing and storage of the vehicle.
Such a law could provide some additional incentive for drivers to stay covered under a policy, especially in light of the fact that in the end offenders will have to purchase a policy and present proof of that coverage in order to get their cars back.
That could be doubly difficult considering the fact that the car owner’s registration and driving privileges are suspended upon a conviction of driving without coverage.
Vehicles that are not retrieved within 90 days would be considered abandoned vehicles.
Source: http://www.scstatehouse.gov/
Rep. Corbin introduced the towing bill at the end of November, and it is currently being considered in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry.
The text of the legislation does not say how it would affect the minority of drivers who decide to pay the optional $550 annual fee to drive in South Carolina without any coverage.
For more on this and other coverage issues, visit http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/proof/ for access to informative resource pages and an easy-to-use quote-comparison generator that can help consumers find the lowest rates for a policy.
