Our county has experienced some difficulty when our employees travel out of county in county vehicles-We are self-insured and when they get stopped by law enforcement or are involved in a wreck, they are usually cited for no insurance. Texs Dept.Insurance was a no help and DPS wasn't sure what should be carried in county owned vehicles? Any forms/suggestions from anyone?

THANKS

One should cite Trans. Code 601.007 and the officer should already know the exception. The officer can check registration to ensure that the vehicle is in the county name. The statute provides the employee is exempt from "carrying the card", provided that he is acting in course and scope of his governmental employment while driving a government vehicle.

On the other hand, if he is on a personal excursion,for example, driving home after a rough night of drinking with his/her buddies, runs a red light and t-bones a squad car........he needs to take two aspirin and call his personal attorney in the morning

A little known fact is that when driving a vehicle owned by someone else, your personal liability policy will provide coverage for you, in the event the owner does not have any insurance, subject to certain exceptions (do not drive car on regular basis, car not in your name, etc) and will suffice as proof of financial responsibility when driving a car owned by someone else. This provision in the policy is what permits people to drive a rent car without having to pay the very high cost OTC insurance provided by the rental company.

Just curious-do "stops" and accidents happen frequently wih your county?