Uninsured Motorists Spared Jail, Fine Hike

State lawmakers have refused to subject uninsured motorists to jail and severe fines.

Swayed by arguments that such penalties would further mire the poor in poverty, the Idaho House rejected them on 44-26 vote before finally adjourning on Tuesday.

“Generally they don’t have the money,” House Transportation Chairman Jim Kempton, R-Albion, said. “Generally they’re using the car for a job, and your only recourse is to eventually build the penalty until you send them to prison, or incarcerate them.”

Kempton refused to have his committee consider the legislation. Instead, it was handled by the Judiciary Committee, where Chairman Celia Gould, R-Buhl, supported it.

“It’s a problem that we’ve been trying to get our arms around and this is a good first step,” Gould said, maintaining Kempton was not seeing the whole picture. “What about the folks that are getting hit by these people?”

If drivers do not have uninsured motorist coverage, they are stuck with the repair bills - and medical bills if the accident is more serious.

The bill would have made driving without insurance a misdemeanor and raised the fine from $75 to $100 on the first offense.