TexasSure starts letter campaign [Gainesville Daily Register, Texas]

Dec. 31--WHEN TEXASSURE -- the statewide database that allows law enforcement officers to match Texas registered passenger vehicles with auto liability insurance policies -- was introduced, the program sounded like a good idea to many.

The database would allow police officers and other law-enforcement officials to identify Texas drivers who are operating their vehicles without liability insurance.

But there are, apparently, some problems with TexasSure.

For example, some drivers who have insurance are not being matched with their policies.

As a result, the program recently began a new phase in which customers with insurance who can't be matched are contacted to help resolve the matching issue.

TexasSure has been available to all 254 county Tax Assessor-Collectors since June 2008 and to Texas law enforcement since October 2008.

During traffic stops, officers can check out a driver's liability insurance status using just his or her license and registration information.

Proponents of TexasSure say the database is accurate.

"The database marches over 99 percent of all reported auto insurance policies to a registered vehicle," a DPS official said.

Only about one percent of drivers cannot be matched with their policies.

The purpose of the letter campaign is to contact those individuals who can't be matched in the database matching process.

Mailing of the one-page letters, in both English and Spanish, began at the end of November 2009 to approximately 100,000 Texas drivers.

Reasons that an insured vehicle may not match to a registered vehicle include:

--The insurance company does not have accurate information

--The vehicle registration is expired, or the information is not current

--The vehicle is not registered in Texas

--The vehicle was recently sold and the insurer was not notified

Letters will only be sent to customers that have been unmatched for at least 60 days, to allow time for any recent changes to vehicle registration information. Customers will be provided with the insurance information on file and specific guidance to help them determine the reason for the non-match. Customers may respond by mail, website, or phone. While there is no penalty for not responding, insured customers who are not accurately reflected in the TexasSure data may be inconvenienced by this inaccuracy. A call center will be available to assist customers who receive letters.

In the spring, TexasSure expects to begin a second phase letter campaign, sending notices to owners of registered vehicles that appear to be uninsured.

The TexasSure Vehicle Insurance Verification program was created by Senate Bill 1670, 79th Texas Legislature, and is designed to reduce the number of uninsured motorists in the state. According to the TexasSure database, as of 11/23/2009, 22% of registered passenger vehicles in Texas were not matched to an insurance policy. This statewide average varied by region; a county-level breakdown is attached.

More information about the program can be found at www.TexasSure.com, or by calling TDI's Consumer Help Line at 1-800-252-3439.

For more information contact: PIO@tdi.state.tx.us

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Copyright (c) 2009, Gainesville Daily Register, Texas

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