There is evidence that insurance agents are trying to make doing business with them a little easier, especially when it comes to buying automobile insurance.
As the Feb. 13 deadline approaches for all motorists to have minimum liability coverage, one agency said it was likely that the carriers' requirement that vehicles be certified as roadworthy by a mechanic, at the owners' expense, would be waived.
Jim Tunick, who owns Theodore Tunick and Co., said Wednesday, "This is a practice that was used in the past for older vehicles, specifically vehicles over five to seven years."
Tunick said given the large volume of people seeking insurance coverage and the hassle the inspection is creating for the public, all insurance carriers used by his company will do away with that requirement to make it easier for the public.
"The same thing may happen to the physician certificate required of older drivers," Tunick said.
There are also indications that the past requirement that motorists buying insurance coverage obtain and present a police record of their driving history will be dropped. Tunick said his company will accept the statement of the motorist.
"We don’t require those in any event because we can have the insured sign a document certifying that he does not have any tickets," he said. "We can accept that in lieu of the driving records."
Tunick said his company is not requiring driving records but other companies may. However, several insurance-industry sources acknowledge that competition for auto-insurance business will help determine what policies will prevail.
The territory’s insurance commissioner, Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, said he will meet Thursday with representatives of the insurance industry to talk about what will be required of motorists and other issues relating to the mandatory insurance requirement. He said moving into this period of required coverage presents several details that must be ironed out.
"The police commissioner as well as members of the insurance companies will get together with us to discuss the issues relating to mandatory insurance," James said. "As it goes into effect, there will be some areas requiring fine-tuning to do along the way before we can say it is easy to manage."
Elsewhere on the issue, Sen. Roosevelt David, who sponsored the legislation, appeared before the weekly luncheon meeting of the St. Thomas Rotary Club on Wednesday to defend the need for the mandatory automobile insurance to take effect Feb. 13.
When the Legislature meets in session Thursday, the Senate may see an effort to force a vote on repealing or amending the insurance law. David said there should be enough votes to defeat any such attempt.
"I am sure all sorts of antics will come forward, but I believe our prudent lawmakers will understand that we cannot continue to have our community at risk," David said. "I do not believe that attempt will go anywhere."
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen on Wednesday circulated a draft amendment to her colleagues that would postpone the effective date of the compulsory automobile-liability insurance law by 180 days. It's not clear when Hansen will attempt to move the amendment.
