Troopers Check on Up-To-Date Driver's Insurance

With 32 million drivers on the roads this holiday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is in full force watching speeds and other violations. Troopers now have a new tool to enforce the law this Memorial Day.

Sunday, May 24th 2009, 10:30 pm

By: News 9


By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With 32 million drivers on the roads this holiday the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is in full force watching speeds and other violations. Troopers now have a new tool to enforce the law this Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day is a time when law enforcement is keeping an eye out for violators on the road.

"Mainly we are looking for seatbelts, speeding, DUIs, those are our main concerns," Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Jennifer Fisher said.

It doesn't take long for Fisher to spot someone driving over the speed limit.

One hurried driver is coming back from the lake and going home with a ticket. But, she's not alone. Troopers can easily spot an unbuckled seatbelt.

An unbuckled seatbelt may be easy to catch, but what can take longer is trying to figure out if a driver has valid insurance.

"Often times law officers encounter people on the road and ask for insurance form; sometimes they don't have it, sometimes they do," Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Chris West said. "Often times they are bogus."

Troopers say drivers without insurance are a problem in Oklahoma.

"We try to crack down on it as much as possible, and if you do get a ticket for driving without insurance it's an automatic suspension of your driver's license," Fisher said.

That's why OHP, the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Department of Public Safety are piloting a system that automatically checks if a driver is carrying up-to-date insurance. The system won't be used by all law enforcement until July 1, but Troopers are using it on Memorial Day.

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