This mandate is among a set of new laws that went into effect in North Carolina with the start of 2009.
Before Jan. 1, the state’s drivers had the option of going without uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Under the change, those motorists who have waived this insurance now will pay an average $17 per year extra in premiums for the minimum coverage required by the new law, according to the N.C. Department of Insurance.
However, a local insurance representative says the measure will benefit drivers in the long run if they happen to get into an accident with someone who is not insured.
“Nobody likes to pay more, and we certainly don’t like to charge more,” said Jolynn Johnson, office manager for the State Farm Insurance office in Westwood Shopping Center. “But there are a lot of uninsured drivers in Surry County.”
Johnson also pointed to another benefit of local motorists having such coverage, which relates to the fact that many people here now lack health insurance due to losing their jobs.
Normally, if a person without medical coverage is injured in a wreck caused by someone who is insured, the latter’s carrier would be responsible for the hospital and other bills resulting.
But if the errant driver had no insurance, the injured person not at fault could find themselves facing astronomical medical costs — since they would not have their own health coverage to fall back on, Johnson said.
“Even though we have to pay it,” she added of the extra charge now required through the new law, “it’s a good thing for the consumer.”
Mount Airy Police Chief Roger McCreary also applauded the change Friday. “It sounds good,” he said.
City police will charge a motorist with having no insurance if they are involved in an accident and are found to lack liability coverage, McCreary said. Then when cases go to court, restitution is sought from those at fault for damages caused by such wrecks. But that does little good if the defendants have no money, as well as no coverage.
“It’s hard to get blood out of a turnip,” the police chief said.
This means an injured party might receive nothing at all as a result of an offending driver’s negligence.
About 5 percent of the drivers who operate private-passenger vehicles in North Carolina, which number about 7 million, lack coverage against uninsured motorists.
They will have to obtain that coverage the next time their policies are renewed.
Inspection Change
Another new law that went on the books Thursday will provide a break for owners of vehicles that fail annual safety and emissions inspections.
Those individuals now get another 60 days to have any deficiencies corrected without paying another inspection fee. Before the change, they had only 30 days to do so.
McCreary, the city police chief, said this measure should offer a break to vehicle owners who are suffering through a tight economy.
“I could see where it would give someone who might be financially strapped more time to get it fixed,” he said.
Other New Laws
Additional laws in effect with the start of 2009, according to Associated Press reports, include:
- A ban against smoking inside state-owned or leased vehicles by employees of North Carolina governmental agencies. This comes on the heels of smoking being prohibited in state buildings a year ago. City and county governments also have authority to enact similar vehicle restrictions, which will reduce health risks from secondhand smoke while also safeguarding autos’ interiors.
- More stringent rules for new swine operations or farms that add hogs. The tightened regulations are aimed at preventing waste spills and reducing pollution and odors. The environmental standards were included in a 2007 law that phases out lagoons in which waste is stored for later spraying on fields. A temporary ban on the creation of these open pits that began in the 1990s was made permanent with the 2007 legislation.
Farmers seeking a permit to build new operations will need to show their waste-disposal systems will dramatically reduce ammonia and pathogens entering the air. Waste-storage containers must have alarms that automatically telephone the farm owner or manager when waste rises dangerously close to the rim.
- A measure requiring mortgage servicers to be registered with the state banking commissioner. The regulation of servicers, who collect mortgage and escrow payments from homeowners and make payments on their behalf, is one of many controls North Carolina has placed on the mortgage industry over the past decade, according to the Associated Press.
Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com, or at 719-1924.
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