MI Lawmaker: Lift the Drunk Driving Shield
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April 13, 2009
Lansing, MI - A change could be in store that might make Michigan roads safer. It would repair the so-called "Kreiner" court decision that acted as a shield to protect drunk drivers and other negligent drivers. Some state lawmakers, including Rep. Mark Meadows, East Lansing, want to fix the law, which they believe keeps negligent drivers from being held accountable for the full cost of the deaths and injuries they cause.
The 2004 "Kreiner" ruling altered Michigan's mandatory no-fault insurance law, Meadows explains, by making it almost impossible for drivers who suffer certain disabling injuries in car accidents to take their case to court. In effect, he says, the law protects drunk and negligent drivers - and their insurance carriers - from the consequences of their deadly actions.
"We've taken people out of the system who were intended to actually have an additional avenue of recovery - people who have suffered serious back injuries or who have suffered serious head injuries."
Meadows says the proposed bill still won't allow legal challenges for recoverable injuries, but it would keep others from having to pay the damages caused by negligent drivers.
"It will benefit the businesses, and the medical system that is actually bearing the cost of providing these treatments at this point in time."
Opponents of the proposed bill, which has been passed by the House and moved to the Senate, say it could have a big financial impact on auto insurance companies and rates.