HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

232

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

expressing SUPPORT for THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NO-FAULT INSURANCE DATABASE REPORTING SYSTEM.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the State's roadways are subjected to ever increasing traffic congestion, causing longer travel delays, wasted time, increased gasoline costs, and increased negative environmental impacts for both Hawaii residents and Hawaii businesses; and

 

     WHEREAS, the presence of uninsured motorists increases the danger on Hawaii's roadways, as well as increasing first responder costs, since some uninsured motorists have more frequent problems with driving under the influence, speeding, and prior accidents; and

 

     WHEREAS, the current no-fault insurance system imposes on responsible motorists higher insurance premiums in order to pay for injuries and damages caused by uninsured drivers; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Insurance Commissioner, seventeen per cent of all drivers on Hawaii roads are uninsured and on Oahu, this percentages translates into 122,301 drivers who legally should not be operating a motor vehicle on public roads; and

 

     WHEREAS, the goals of significant traffic reduction, increased roadway safety and reduced first responder costs, and the creation of a new or an increased tax revenue source can be accomplished by a relatively inexpensive no-fault insurance database reporting system; and

 

WHEREAS, such a database reporting system would require motor vehicle insurance companies to transmit the appropriate motorist insurance information to the counties for inclusion into a master database that would be accessible by the police, the county departments of motor vehicles, and the prosecuting attorneys; and

 

     WHEREAS, even if just half of the 122,301 uninsured drivers on Oahu's roads were to obtain no-fault insurance, the establishment of this no-fault insurance database reporting system could potentially remove 61,151 cars from the State's roads for the cost of $50,000 in software, while the present rail proposal is projected to remove only 40,000 cars from Oahu's roads after nineteen years (assuming a 2030 completion) for a cost of $5,500,000,000; and

 

     WHEREAS, a no-fault insurance database reporting system could require each county to send to the owners of registered but uninsured vehicles a letter of notice requiring these owners to either obtain motor insurance or turn over the license plates of their uninsured vehicles to the county within thirty days; and

 

     WHEREAS, a no-fault insurance database reporting system could require each county to issue an insured motorist sticker for the insured motorist to display on the vehicle's rear bumper similar to stickers issued for motor vehicle registration and safety checks, with police officers in each county authorized to issue citations for a failure to display the insured motorist sticker; and

 

     WHEREAS, a no-fault insurance database reporting system could authorize police officers in each county to remove the license plates of registered but uninsured vehicles whose owners have received the letter of notice requiring them to either obtain motorist insurance or turn in their license plates within thirty days and whose thirty days have lapsed without the vehicle's owner having done either alternative; and

 

     WHEREAS, a no-fault insurance database reporting system could require the appropriate authority in each county, upon receiving proof that an uninsured but registered vehicle is now covered by insurance, to note this fact in its motor vehicle insurance data system, cause the issuance of an insured motorist sticker for the owner of that vehicle, and in the case of vehicle license plates that have been removed, immediately return the removed vehicle license plates to the registered vehicle's owner; provided that if they cannot be immediately returned, a paper certificate readily readable when displayed in the rear window of the vehicle shall be issued to the owner to display until the license plates of the vehicle can be returned; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, that this body expresses its support for the establishment of a no-fault insurance database reporting system for the benefit of all the people of Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Insurance Commissioner, and the Police Chief of each county.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

No-fault