I was contacted by an insurance carrier in Owensboro and they told me that they compared their car insurance rates to our insurance carrier and they said they offer better car insurance rates. They said they were looking at our insurance policy and said we could get a better deal with them. How is it possible that they have access to our auto insurance information?

Desiree

Owensboro, KY

Normally a competing insurance company is not permitted to have access to your current insurance policy. For marketing, typically an insurer will look at your current registered cars and try to rate it with that. Competing insurance carriers/agents can access general information about you like your age, where you live, tax status, etc., however they should not have access to your actual car insurance policy without your permission. They are in violation of insurance privacy regulations if they do.

Most likely the insurance carrier that called you was using a marketing strategy to get your business. As for comparing their car insurance rates with your insurance carriers rates overall, that is possible since some insurers do publish sample insurance rate quotes. For instance, you live in Owensboro Kentucky, here the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) provides a consumer guide that lists insurance carriers authorized to sell auto/homeowners/renters insurance in KY and those insurers have provided rate comparisons for certain situations.

If you believe that the insurance company that contacted you truly did have a copy of your car insurance policy then you can have the KY DOI, the insurance regulator for the state, investigate the issue and you can file a formal complaint with this state agency.

What is the fine for driving without car insurance in  Kentucky?

Collins

Owensboro, KY

Driving without auto insurance in Owensboro and in all areas in Kentucky can be rather severe. For the first offense you are cited, you will be required to go to court and can be fined between $500 up to $1000 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days or both.

Your KY license plates and registration can be suspended for 1 year or until proof of car insurance is presented. You could also lose your drivers license for up to one year. The penalties increase for each subsequent offenses of not having proper proof of car insurance liability.

If you were found driving without auto insurance in the state of Kentucky you may contact the court listed on your ticket for information on the possible penalties you may receive in court. The clerk of the court can likely advise you what the normal fine amount is for a first time violation of driving uninsured in the county in which you were cited.

My daughter received a speeding ticket in Indiana and I am licensed in the Owensboro Kentucky. I would like to know if the state of Kentucky will be able to know about this? Will this affect her car insurance rate?

Jenny

Owensboro, KY

Kentucky and Indiana are both part of the Drivers License Compact which requires member states to report any offenses for other traffic violations back to the home state in which the individual was issued their license. Therefore the IN Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the court should notify the Transportation Cabinet of the speeding violation you received from a different state.

According to the Kentucky driver’s manual the Division of Driver Licensing keeps a record of all traffic violations on each driver licensed in KY. These driving records are based on traffic convictions reports, payment of fine, forfeiture of bail, with or without court appearances, which are forwarded to the Division of Driver Licensing by the courts throughout the US.

Your daughter may contact her auto insurance company to find out if this speeding ticket will increase her auto insurance rate.