Police Chief Manuel Borrego: Impound uninsured cars, Wichita Falls Police Department Chief Manuel Borrego recommended that the city start impounding vehicles of uninsured motorists, according to an article in the Wichita Falls Times Record News today, Friday, July 5. Borrego's announcement does not mean his proposal will become the law in this city of 105,000 near the Red River.
He said he was concerned about the safety of people in Wichita Falls and that his belief is such a new law implemented here would avoid tragedies on the highways and streets.
Currently, a citation is handed out to to a person driving an automobile or truck who is caught without insurance. Borrego lamented that a mere citation is not accomplishing much if the uninsured motorist later is involved in an accident.
Borrego has discussed the idea of impounding cars of uninsured motorists with the Wichita Falls city council on several occasions. On Tuesday he discussed the possibility of implementing the new measure with council members at pre-budget meetings.
The possibility was also discussed previously at a workshop near the beginning of 2013 held for city council and staff.
The chief believes that if the city council votes to implement such an ordinance the result would be to get more people registered, thereby making streets safer.
The city's top police officer said that more than 2,000 citations per year have been written in 2011 and 2012. More than 1000 citations have already been issued in 2013.
Where would all the impounded vehicles be kept?
Borrego said a new impound facility on Armory Road would provide adequate space for the dramatic increase in vehicles which the police will be impounding.
Will Wichita Falls be the only city impounding vehicles?
Borrego said several cities across Texas and the United States already have implemented such a policy.
Texas law already requires drivers show proof of insurance to law enforcement officers if they are stopped. The easiest way for motorists to avoid trouble in such a situation is to have a copy of their insurance proof in the glove compartment or somewhere else in their vehicle.
Enacting such an ordinace would protect insured motorists who have paid for insurance. There were more than 600 motorists involved in accidents in 2012 involving uninsured motorists. It really doesn't seem fair that an uninsured motorist should be able to cause an accident and then not have a policy to cover the damages to an insured motorist's car.
This is another example of the Chief's innovative thinking in coming up with an idea to protect the majority of motorists who do have insurance.
People who don't have accident insurance should go ahead and scrape the money together so they won't have their car towed away or even worse, be personally liable for injuries to another in an accident.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Police Chief Manuel Borrego: Impound uninsured cars
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