[August 23, 2011] Internet address for online form protects drivers Tweet MONTGOMERY, Aug 23, 2011 (The Decatur Daily - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It's really not Peggy from Siberia you're responding to if you fill out a state Revenue Department liability insurance update form online. But just as the "Peggy" character in the credit card commercial isn't really where she says she is, the .com Internet address that Alabama vehicle owners use to send their insurance updates online isn't a mysterious location either. The state is simply using a .com rather than .gov address. "The address is encrypted. It's a device we use to protect people's private information from hackers," Revenue Department spokeswoman Carla Snellgrove said. The department has been sending questionnaires asking owners to update their vehicle liability insurance information since 2001, soon after the state passed a law requiring liability coverage. The same law also required the random questionnaires, but did not require motorists to show proof of vehicle liability coverage when buying vehicle tags. But the option to fill out the questionnaire online hasn't always been available. Snellgrove said the department now gives three ways to submit the required information, unlike the mail-only option in 2001. Many owners do fill out the questionnaire at an Internet link shown on the questionnaire, but submissions by fax or mail are equally good, she said. Revenue mails about 1,500 of the forms each month in a mostly random selection process that delivers questionnaires by mail, Snellgrove said. Vehicle owners who do not send back the questionnaire could have their vehicle tag registration suspended until they provide required information and pay a fine, she said. People who do not have the insurance could also lose their vehicle license registration until they show proof they purchased coverage and pay a fine. Those owners will automatically receive the liability coverage update questionnaires every year for four years under current law. The law requiring the questionnaires applies to owners of most vehicles. It exempts semi- and utility trailers, off-road vehicles including road graders, government-owned vehicles and for-hire trucks that the Public Service Commission regulates. In 2013, state and county officials will have instant access to up-to-date information on vehicle liability insurance coverage through an Internet database. Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, sponsored the online verification law that passed this year, but the law will take time to implement fully. Orr said his goal was to make sure drivers are operating vehicles that comply with state vehicle insurance laws. He said figures by the Insurance Institute show that 25 to 28 percent of Alabama vehicle owners do not have liability insurance coverage. Because of the high percentage of uninsured vehicles here, Orr said, vehicle liability insurance costs consumers in Alabama more than in states with stiffer penalties. Impact of new vehicle liability insurance law Fines: First offense with new law in effect -- $200 Second offense with new law in effect -- $400 Other impact: Now -- Owners sign statement saying they have liability coverage when buying tags In January 2013 -- License tag offices and law officers can do Internet check of coverage SOURCE: Alabama Department of Revenue ___ (c)2011 The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) Visit The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) at www.decaturdaily.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]