Oklahoma Panel OKs Bill Punishing Uninsured Drivers

An Oklahoma House committee has approved a bill that says uninsured drivers can’t receive monetary damages after auto accidents even if the accident is someone else’s fault.

Republican Rep. Jason Nelson says the measure is meant to decrease the number of Oklahoma drivers without insurance. The committee approved it 10-6, with every Democratic member voting no.

Nelson said his proposal is meant to penalize people who break state law by not getting auto insurance. A 2011 report says about 24 percent of Oklahoma’s drivers are uninsured.

Democrats Rep. Scott Inman and Emily Virgin took issue with Nelson’s logic. Virgin and others questioned whether it was allowed under the state’s constitution, which guarantees a remedy for any injury.

Nelson said he didn’t know that answer.