Higher car liability minimum sought with legislation

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 15, 2002

[1/15/02]A Mississippi legislator is asking again this year for an increase in the minimum amount of liability insurance vehicle owners must carry.

Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, says the current per-accident minimums $10,000 per person with a $20,000 cap for third parties injured or killed, and $5,000 for third-party property damage have not been raised for at least 20 years.

“We’re low and very much behind on this,” Moak said.

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Under a state law that became effective a year ago, Mississippi drivers must present proof of liability coverage when they have a wreck or when stopped for a separate traffic violation.

But without coverage sufficient to pay modern car repair or hospital bills, even the mandatory coverage is insufficient, he said.

Many drivers already carry more than the minimum amounts, Moak said. For those who carry minimum amounts, the proposed increases would result in premiums rising about 10 percent to 20 percent, said Mississippi Independent Insurance Agents President Danny Moseley.

“A lot of people have a false sense of security,” Moseley said. Drivers with only $5,000 of property coverage would often have enough to pay for the damage they cause.

“Eighty percent of the vehicles on the road are worth more than that,” Moseley said of the $5,000 minimum. “The old limits are obsolete.”

The bill, which Moak has filed during previous sessions, has been assigned to the Insurance Committee.