H.R. 230 Summary

• Requests the Insurance Commissioner study the feasibility of requiring motor vehicle insurance companies to issue electronically scannable insurance cards to insured drivers.

• Proposes requiring gasoline sellers to scan or examine insurance cards as a condition of purchasing fuel, intended to prevent uninsured motorists from accessing gasoline.

• Cites 2009 data showing approximately 12 percent of Hawaii drivers were uninsured in 2007, with potential rates as high as 20 percent according to some analysts.

• Identifies potential benefits including reducing uninsured motorists on roads, lowering insurance costs through reduced uninsured motorist coverage premiums, and coordinating insurance requirements with driver licenses and safety checks.

• Requires the Insurance Commissioner to report findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2012 Regular Session.