The Texas Department of Insurance recently reported that 21.6 percent of all drivers statewide were driving without insurance.
South Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured drivers, with Cameron County leading the state with 30.4 percent.
The findings in this report are discouraging for Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos.
“It is a concern that you do have a lot of uninsured motorists and it ever fails to happen that when there is a traffic accident or something happens normally one of the drivers is uninsured,” said Cascos.
And someone has to pay for those damages. Usually it's the person who has the insurance.
As a results Cascos says premiums tend to go up.
That is why the county is making a significant effort to try to boost the number of insured drivers
“You need to have insurance before you get your license plates renewed and before you get your inspection sticker renewed,” said Cascos.
However, the biggest issue according to Cascos is that uninsured motorists look for ways to bypass the law.
“What a lot of people do is if they go before a judge, they show proof of insurance, and a lot of times they get let go with small fines, and they will go down and cancel it after they've had their ticket mediated,” said Cascos says who blamed economy partially for the lack of drivers, operating their vehicles without insurance.
"We are going through some difficult times. And one of the first things people cut is insurance,” added Cascos.
State law requires all vehicle owners have at least liability coverage.
Drivers ticketed for lack of insurance face a fine.
Motorists with multiple offenses are subject to arrest.
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