Caution – Don’t Drive in Kansas Without Uninsured Motorist Protection

Kansas doesn’t have an electronic system to check the status of auto insurance so experts estimate that there are at least 160,000 drivers in that state without a penny of car insurance coverage.  And they know the police and the state can’t catch them, according to Kansas.com.

Seems these cheats have discovered how to get around the existing system; they buy a one-year policy and pay the first month’s premium which gets the insurance card needed to register their car and get their license.  Then these scofflaws never pay the second month’s premium and though their insurance is cancelled, they’ve still got a card saying they are covered for 11 more months. 

That’s enough to get these drivers off the hook if they get stopped for a speeding ticket, when all a police officer can do is ask for proof of insurance.  But there’s no way to check to see if the policy is still in force. 

The problem really hits home, though, if there’s an accident caused by one of these uninsured motorists.  Then the state’s insurance requirements fall flat, as the victim suffers again when there’s no money for medical bills, no money for car repairs, no money for lost wages, no money for anything.  The only recourse for the victim is to sue the uninsured driver, but if they had any money in the first place they would have had insurance, so that’s a losing proposition too.

Kansas has no excuse for this situation.  Though state officials wonder about how to implement an accurate electronic system, the fact is that dozens of other states already have that type of system in place to use as examples of how to do it right.  I live in Colorado, and I know that if I’m stopped by an officer, within minutes he’ll know whether I truly have insurance coverage or not.  If I stop paying my premiums, the state is notified within 30 days that I’ve discontinued insurance, and I’ll get a nasty letter in the mail.

Based on statistics, as many as 1 in 6 car accidents in Kansas involve uninsured motorists, though here too the state fails to keep records.  So if you live and drive in Kansas make sure you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.  Odds are far too great in the Sunflower state to leave off this coverage as a way to save on insurance premiums; better to find a Kansas auto insurance company which has great rates on everything else.