Legislators to vet plan to cite uninsured drivers

When Nevada lawmakers start their special session this week , they will ponder Gov. Jim Gibbons' proposal to bring in an out-of-state company to help nab and cite uninsured motorists.

InsureNet, a Chicago-based company, has offered to pay the state $30 million up front for the privilege of setting up scanners and providing the necessary software to nail drivers without insurance. The company would keep a yet-to-be-determined percentage of the fines paid.

If approved by legislators, cameras would be installed at intersections and scan license plates as vehicles pass through. If 20 vehicles zip through an inter­section in a 3-second period, the scanner will capture each vehicle's plate information and run it through a national database to determine the insurance status of the driver, Gibbons spokesman Dan Burns said.

The scanner discards the information collected within 60 seconds, he said.

"The company will decide where they want to put the cameras, but obviously you would put them in a high-traffic area," Burns said. "They sit there and scan all day."

About 22 percent of Nevada drivers are without insurance, Burns said.

"It's conceptual, and I understand that people are worried about Big Brotherism, but that's not an issue with this," Burns said. "The intent is to get people insured."

The idea of using a camera or scanner as a law enforcement tool could pose a problem for Gibbons' idea.

Legislators have shot down supporters of red-light cameras three times since 2005. Critics aired concerns about the cost and whether cameras violate motorists' rights to privacy and due process.

Another hurdle might be convincing lawmakers that the system is necessary. Next month, a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles' program dubbed Nevada Liability Insurance Validated Electronically will be fully implemented.

Insurance companies notify the DMV of insurance lapses every month. Under Nevada LIVE, the DMV will be notified immediately.

The offender will receive a verification request in the mail and can dispute the citation online or in person. Motorists who fail to respond will receive a registered letter notifying them of their suspended registration.

"We don't really know too much about it," Tom Jacobs, a DMV spokesman, said of the InsureNet proposal.

Jacobs added that his department's new program will be equally efficient.

Burns touted the InsureNet system for its ability to catch out-of-state offenders, but Jacobs questioned the process because not all states have insurance verification programs.

And some legislators have expressed concerns over how nailing Las Vegas visitors would affect the tourism industry, Jacobs said.

Burns said another positive aspect of InsureNet is that the scanners can be interfaced with Amber Alerts. The sought-after license plate number can be entered into InsureNet, and law enforcement would be notified if that vehicle is scanned.

It is unknown how effective InsureNet's system is. No other state has implemented the program. According to the Chicago Tribune, InsureNet representatives told Chicago officials that the company planned to have "three or four states" signed on within months. That was a year ago.

Burns said InsureNet told the governor it planned to have two other states sign on soon.

InsureNet did not return phone and e-mail messages.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.