State Senator Savino Looks To Stop Auto Insurance Evasion

photo credit: swanksalot via flickr

Have you ever been annoyed at seeing people, often with out-of-state plates, using a vacation home or another person’s address in order to pay less for car insurance?

The practice, known as auto rate evasion, has become increasingly common as transplanted New Yorkers offer friends and relatives back home the use of their out-of-town addresses. A consequence of rate evasion is that it unfairly raises everyone’s premiums.

If State Senator Diane Savino has her way, residents of the Empire State who fraudulently register their vehicles elsewhere could face felony charges.

silive.com reports that the bill, which has passed the New York State Senate with the help of Savino and her colleagues in the Independent Democratic Conference, would make auto rate evasion a Class E Felony.

“It seems that you would have to go to Scranton before you find more  cars with Pennsylvania plates than Staten Island,” Ms. Savino  (D-North Shore/Brooklyn) told silive.com. “This legislation would provide much-needed  tools to fight auto insurance evasion and make sure everyone plays by  the same rules.”

Senator Diane Savino represents District 23, which includes much of the North Shore of Staten Island. In Brooklyn, District 23 includes Coney Island, as well as parts of Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Borough Park and Bensonhurst.

silive: Albany Roundup