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Alabama drivers can expect to pay a little extra for their auto liability insurance thanks to a new bill passed Friday by the state legislature.
The bill raises the current minimum -- $20,000 of coverage for a single injury, $40,000 of coverage for multiple injuries and deaths and $10,000 of coverage for property damage -- to $25,000, $50,000 and $25,000 respectively. The goal is to bring Alabama's law in line with other Southern states (it hasn't been updated since 1983) and to subsequently offer more protection to drivers involved in wrecks caused by other drivers.
"Ten-thousand dollars is nothing. It's not going to pay for a new car, and it basically catches up to (other states), which are already 25-50-25," said Ken McFeeters, co-founder of PAC Insurance, an independent, family-owned agency in Hoover.
However, McFeeters and other insurance agents, as well as some Birmingham-area drivers, say the bill is superficial at best and fails to address the real safety issue on Alabama roads and highways: uninsured drivers.
"This is window dressing," said McFeeters of the new bill. "One-third of drivers in Alabama drive without insurance, and the 25-50-25 is not going to get those drivers insured."
According to the Insurance Research Council, Alabama ranks second in the nation, along witih California, for having the most uninsured drivers . Between 1999 and 2004, 25-percent of drivers in Alabama were uninsured. During the same time period in Mississippi, 26-percent were uninsured.
Local drivers weren't as surprised by this statistic as they were concerned.
"That's alarming," said Darryl Webb of Birmingham. "I accept full responsibility for having the privilege to drive and make sure I'm insured, and it's just my humble opinion that others should (do) likewise."
Jerry Fields echoes that sentiment.
"If you drive, you should have insurance," he said. You're carring an implied responsibility driving a ton piece of metal around the streets. You should be responsible if you make a mistake and hurt someone."
According to McFeeters, Alabama law requires all drivers to be insured before they can register their vehicle. "But there's no enforcement," he adds.
He hopes a bill that's scheduled to make it to the state Senate floor on May 19 will change that. Senate Bill 260, McFeeter says, aims to create an electronic database that will verify whether drivers are insured. If they are not insured, they will not receive Alabama tags.
"And if you let your policy lapse, the Department of Revenue will pull your tags," McFeeters said. "That will actually do something for the folks in Alabama."
Insured drivers like Jerry Fields couldn't agree more.
"It's absolutely essential. I think that's a great idea."
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