Sunnyside Plan: No Insurance? Lose Your Car

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Story Published: Sep 7, 2007 at 5:08 PM PST

By Aaron Kellogg

SUNNYSIDE -- City leaders here may step up efforts to crack-down on people who drive without car insurance.

The city insists they're working for everyone's safety. If drivers get caught driving without insurance, they don't just get a ticket; instead, the car gets impounded.

The city calls it a "community care-taking function." Drivers who get pulled over and can't prove they've paid for car insurance get their car towed to an impound lot.

It seems like simple plan: drivers either have insurance and they're clear or they don't and the car gets taken away.

But there's a problem for people who happen to forget their insurance card before getting in the car. The city insists they'll give absent-minded drivers a chance to prove they're covered before they start towing. If the driver can't prove to a police officer beyond a reasonable doubt that he or she carries insurance, then the car gets towed.

City leaders confirmed on Thursday the driver will have an opportunity to call their insurance company, if the driver is not carrying insurance papers. If the driver can't connect with the insurance company they can also call an insured family member or friend to have them drive.

Ultimately city leaders tell Action News they want a new way to make sure drivers on the road have the right credentials to be behind the wheel. Opponents say, the city is taking its powers too far.

This proposal goes before the city council on Monday. The city's police chief said the council members considered a similar plan about five to six years ago but did not approve it.

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