Auto insurance laws are too lax

Richard Rychtarik, Las Vegas

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012 | 2 a.m.

The recent accident when a young, unlicensed driver rammed into pedestrians waiting at a bus stop was tragic.

The loss of human lives and permanent injuries sustained can never be reversed. But just as tragic is the Legislature’s failure to increase the amount of liability coverage that vehicle owners must carry. How many more decades must go by before the Legislature does something? This coverage is preventive in its nature even though it is an after-the-fact coverage. What happens to those who have little or no money for their hospital bills and living expenses when out of work due to someone else’s carelessness? Who will pay for their rehabilitation? The minimum insurance requirement in Nevada is 15/30. That’s $15,000 liability per person per accident and $30,000 maximum. The Legislature needs to understand that $15,000 would hardly cover the cost of one ER visit and one or two days of hospitalization. The Legislature should not rely upon those of us fortunate enough to have our own health coverage and high-end auto insurance. Many of our citizens do not. It’s time for our state government to get off the dime and ask our drivers to pony up a few more bucks for some decent insurance coverage that will protect us all.