Instant impound' ordinance now in effect

EL PASO -- If you're driving around town with no insurance, your car will be impounded and getting it back may end up costing more than a $1,000.

Sunday, the city's recently adopted "instant impound" ordinance went into effect. Police officers will use a variety of methods to verify if drivers pulled over for a traffic violation have insurance. The ordinance will also apply to drivers involved in crashes.

However, police officials have said officers will determine if the severity of the traffic violation warrants the implementation of the ordinance.

Some El Paso drivers believe the ordinance will actually help them save money. "If more people would buy insurance for their cars, our rates would go down because they wouldn't have to subsidize for the people that don't have insurance," said Barron Fletcher, an insured driver.

In fact, nearly 70 percent of ABC-7 viewers who participated in a recent KVIA.com poll said they were in favor of the ordinance.

Prior to passage of the ordinance, Mayor John Cook and City Representative Carl Robinson expressed some concerns. Cook said 50,000 citations were issued to uninsured drivers in 2008 and added the city did not have the capability to take care of the vehicles of thousands of uninsured drivers. Robinson said the ordinance would place an extra burden on a police force already spread thin due to budget cuts.

The city's fine for not having auto insurance is $275. This is in addition to a $260 fine imposed by the state of Texas that will have to be paid for three consecutive years. The total in fines will easily exceed $1,000 under current figures.

The company that impounds vehicles for the city charges $66 for impounding. It also charges a one-time fee of $50 if the vehicle remains in their lot for more than 24 hours. After that, a fee of $15 is placed for each day the vehicle remains in the lot.

Once you take care of all these fines, you will also have to display proof of insurance to get your vehicle back.



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