LANSING – Imagine driving with your family on a rainy night.

Everything is fine until you lose control and swerve off the road and into somebody’s yard. Thankfully nobody is hurt and your car has sustained only minor damage.

Crisis averted, right?

Possibly, but if you’re one of the many uninsured drivers in Michigan, this scenario could prove disastrous.

Driving without insurance is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to a $500 fine and a year in jail. However, those penalties could seem insignificant compared to other problems that arise when a person drives uninsured.

Offenders can be held liable for injuries and damage caused to people and property that can far exceed $500.

Michigan law requires all drivers to carry basic no-fault auto insurance, but a 2006 study from the Insurance Research Council estimates that 17 percent of motorists in the state are uninsured.

Basic no-fault insurance consists of three parts. First, it provides personal injury protection. This pays for necessary medical care and up to a certain amount of lost wages for three years. Lost wages can also be paid to a relative if an accident if fatal.

Second, the insurance provides up to $1 million for property damage that a policyholder causes. It also pays for damage to another car, but only if that vehicle was legally parked.

Last, the coverage pays for the damages and defense costs of drivers who are sued.

In addition to basic no-fault insurance, individuals may purchase uninsured or underinsured drivers coverage. This policy covers damages that someone they would incur if they cause an uninsured driver.

To curb the number of people who drive without insurance, Reps. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, and Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, have introduced bills that would allow police to verify whether a driver carries insurance.

According to one co-sponser, Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, many motorists currently pay the initial premium and receive a certificate verifying that they carry insurance. However they then stop paying their premiums but continue to use the proof-of-insurance card.

“It is a big problem, because it’s fairly easy to get away with,” said Jones, who has 33 years of law enforcement experience. “Some people are simply irresponsible.”

Johnson and Nofs’ proposals would create a paperless insurance verification system to allow officers to immediately verify that a driver has up-to-date insurance.

Nofs said he was prompted to introduce the proposal in part due to his 24 years of experience in law enforcement.

If people know that an officer can immediately verify their insurance status, then they will be more likely to comply with the law, Nofs said.

According to State Police Sgt. Matt Bolger, the most common way now for an officer to verify that is to check their proof-of-insurance card.

“There really isn’t another easy way to check it,” Bolger said.

If they wanted to, officers could call the insurance company to verify the motorist still has coverage, but that’s time consuming, he added.

Peter Kuhnmuench, executive director of the Insurance Institute of Michigan, said the organization is opposed to the legislation.

“The problem lies with enforcing the existing laws,” Kuhnmuench said.

“These systems haven’t proven to be effective,” he said, pointing out that such a system isn’t up and running in any other state.

Kuhnmuench said there are many reasons why people drive without insurance. Some are high-risk drivers who have trouble getting coverage, while others inadvertently let their insurance expire, he said.

Cost can also be an issue.

“Some people can’t afford it,” Nofs said.

According to Bolger, in 2006, 97,555 tickets were issued for having no proof of insurance, and 12, 277 driving without insurance.

Currently, failure to produce proof of insurance when police ask is a civil infraction and can lead to a suspended license for at least 30 days.

Other sponsors of the bills include Reps. John Stahl, R-North Branch, Brian Palmer, R-Romeo, and Pam Byrnes, D-Chelsea.