San Antonio is a fantastic city. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, SanAn is the seventh most populous city in the United States. It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000-2010, and the population keeps climbing--for good reason!
Home to such famous attractions as the Alamo, the River Walk and the Tower of the Americas and host to great parks like Sea World and Fiesta Texas, it's no wonder the city is visited by approximately 26 million tourists per year. The popularity of this tourist destination helps keep its economy in blossom, meaning the river city is a fantastic place for entrepreneurs and passionate professionals. San Antonio is also the site of several prestigious colleges like UTSA, Trinity, Incarnate Word and St. Mary's, which means the population is vibrant, young and exciting.
But most of these tourists, college students and businesspeople have one thing in common: they are drivers. An intricate web of roads interconnects the busy pockets of the city, sprawling from A to B. These are nearly always busy with people hurrying from here to there. Unfortunately, more drivers means more potential accidents. Whether a simple fender-bender or a full-on car-totaling collision, wrecks are a hassle busy San Antonio drivers don't need.
In the aftermath of a wreck, a million worries flood the mind. Am I hurt? Are they hurt? Is my car totaled? Who's at fault? Can I afford this? If you have insurance, the answer to the last question is, "Yes." Unfortunately, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles estimates that 15-20 percent of Texas drivers are uninsured. Don't be part of this statistic! Driving uninsured in Texas can cost you big time.
A first conviction for driving without Texas car insurance ends in a fine ranging from $175 and $350, plus court costs. If you're a college student, even this sum is daunting. Between tuition and books, who has a few hundred bucks to spare? Subsequent convictions of driving uninsured mean fines ranging from $350 to $1,000, court costs, suspension of driving privileges for up to two years and impoundment of the vehicle at the owner's expense. After being convicted, a motorist must pay a $250 annual surcharge to keep his driver's license. This surcharge stays in effect for three years!
When we stay insured, we essentially put away emergency savings into a self-care fund for the accidents we just can't predict. When those inevitable disasters strike, we have a safety net, a cushion for the blow. Do yourself (and the drivers around you) the great favor of driving insured. Please, stay safe, SanAn.
