Commuters Stranded in Liberia Following New Auto Insurance Law

Thousands of commuters are stranded in Liberia after the government began enforcing a new law requiring motorists to carry insurance.

Transport Minister Tornonlah Variplah said the law is aimed at addressing a wave of accidents that caused more than 32,000 injuries last year. Victims had to pay for their own treatment.

Vehicle owners need to pay between $165 and $1,000 to insure their cars. Those not bearing the insurance sticker on Monday were being impounded.

Many people did not make it to school or to work on Monday due to the scarcity of cars on the roads, as taxi and bus owners parked their cars to avoid the police checkpoints.

The insurance plan is being re-introduced after it was interrupted more than a decade ago by the nation’s civil war.