New system simplifies insurance verification for MHP, counties
Berl Tiskus
The Montana Insurance Verification System is a new tool in use by Montana counties and the Montana Highway Patrol to reduce the number of uninsured motor vehicles on Montana roads.
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Montana drivers are required to carry liability insurance on their vehicles, but many drivers do not. The 2009 Montana Legislature passed Senate Bill 508, the Montana motor vehicle insurance responsibility and verification act, in an attempt to reduce the number of uninsured motor vehicles.
According to the Montana Department of Justice’s Motor Vehicle Division website, the Montana Insurance Verification System uses information from Montana vehicle registration records and from insurance companies that write policies in Montana to access up-to-the-minute information to confirm if a vehicle has minimum liability insurance coverage.
Last year, the Montana Highway Patrol began using the system on patrol car computers. After a trial run, county treasurers began using the system in September, planning on going live this month.
Lake County Treasurer Patti Duford Kugler said some vehicles, such as fleet vehicles or those belonging to a rancher, who has all his or her vehicles under commercial insurance, do not show up on the database. Insurance companies are not required to report fleet and commercial insured vehicles.
Lake County has continued to renew license plates for people who don’t come up on the new system as being insured.
“We’re still trying to work out bugs,” she said.
Lake County vehicle registration department employees are stapling brightly colored strips of paper on license renewals to remind people to check with their insurance company if the system doesn’t show insurance.
Duford-Kugler said her complaint was that, “We are not law enforcement.”
The clerks will need to check for insurance, which may slow down the licensing process.
A press release from the Department of Justice, Vehicle and Registration Department said things would not change at the County Treasurer’s office. Vehicle owners may still renew by mail or on-line. If a person chooses to go to the county courthouse, the clerk will verify insurance using MTVIS and advise that person if the system cannot verify insurance.
“Then they will complete your registration,” the press release stated.
Montana Highway Patrol Sergeant Randy Owens, Polson, said, “MTVIS tells us immediately if there is valid, current insurance.”
The hope, Owens said, was that MTVIS being available would make more people carry insurance. In theory, more insured motorists will cause insurance companies to lower policy costs.
He also said local MHP troopers “will not be running plates and stopping people.” If a person stopped for some other reason doesn’t have liability insurance, then he or she may be ticketed.
Owens also stressed that motorists should continue to carry proof of insurance in their vehicles, since that is required by Montana law.
