No Pay, No Play Rules Could Reduce Premiums for Paying Customers

If you compare auto insurance quotes regularly and pay attention to the fine print—not just the price, but the actual coverage—you’ll notice that there’s a great deal of emphasis placed in obtaining the right level of uninsured motorist coverage. This is put in place to protect you from the financial repercussions that could come as a result of colliding with a driver who’s either woefully underinsured, or not insured at all. In the state of Montana, Governor Brian Schweitzer recently vetoed a law that state lawmakers approved in their attempt to bring about significant changes to the money its residents pay out of pocket to subsidize those who don’t pay for insurance.

Nicknamed the “No Pay, No Play” bill, Montana is not the only state to attempt adopting such a measure. There are other states that have already approved similar legislation: California, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Oregon. And Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee appear to not be far behind. So what was contained in the bill? Basically, it proposed to do away with the ability of noninsured drivers to sue for physical suffering and emotional distress. Under existing law, uninsured drivers can sue to reclaim financial losses like property damage and medical bills.

The new law was aimed at not only sending a message to drivers who take to the road uninsured, but also to ease the financial burden on insurance companies who usually pay out large sums of money for physical suffering and emotional distress judgments. It was believed that this easing would have been passed on to paying customers in the form of lowered premiums.

Laws such as these, however, don't mean that drivers shouldn’t keep an eye open for even lower rates as they come available. Those who compare auto insurance quotes on a regular basis are in a better position to ask their insurers for additional discounts, or secure them by changing providers. You can compare auto quotes by calling insurance companies directly, or by using any number of comparison tools online.