Senate Republican Amendment Targets Lengthy Driver Insurance Surcharges

Boston- The Senate today adopted a Republican Caucus proposal which could lead to a reduction in the length of time that drivers are subject to the state’s insurance surcharge point system for traffic violations.

Under existing law, auto insurance companies calculate premiums using the Safe Driver Insurance Program (SDIP) which factors in surchargable driving events on a person’s record for up to six years. Surchargable events include minor infractions such as speeding and major offenses such as at-fault accidents and driving under the influence.

“Across the nation, the average insurance surcharges period is less than two and a half years; our amendment requires the Insurance Division to evaluate our system to determine if and how we can move away from a six year system that levies a penalty on drivers far longer than in any of our neighboring states,” said Senator Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R- Gloucester).

The proposal, authored by Tarr, and offered by the Senate Republican Caucus was unanimously adopted by the Senate. It requires the state Division of Insurance to conduct a study on the feasibility of reducing the amount of time driver points remain on a drivers SDIP record. The report along with recommendations must be submitted to the legislature no later than December 31, 2015.