State's vehicle insurance database a flop so far

ATLANTA - A law created almost two years ago to help police crack down on uninsured drivers in Georgia has NOT done what law makers hoped. <br> <br> Governor Barnes signed the law in April 2000 to create an on-line database where officers could look up a car by its tag number and find out if it was insured. It was supposed to keep scofflaws from counterfeiting proof-of-insurance certificates or buying coverage and letting it lapse as soon as the certificate comes in the mail. <br> <br> The law gave the Department of Public Safety and the state&#39;s internet gurus 16 months to get the system up and running. But even after a four-month extension and thousands of dollars, officials are nowhere near completing the project. <br> <br> The commissioner of Motor Vehicle Safety, Tim Burgess, took over the project during the summer. He will probably ask the Legislature for an eight to ten month extension when it convenes next week. <br> <br> The law originally set January 1st 2002 as the day the new database system would kick in and drivers showing proof of insurance would NOT be enough. But since there&#39;s no alternative, police will have to ignore the new law. <br> <br>