Press Release

Washington, DC— The following is a statement from American Association for Justice CEO Linda Lipsen on the introduction of the INSURANCE Act, a bill that would require the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to tie the minimum insurance floor, currently $750,000 as set in 1980, to the rate of inflation of medical care as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every five years:

“This is a public safety issue. America’s highways are more deadly than they were just 10 years ago. The number of people injured in large truck crashes has more than doubled over the last 10 years, while fatalities increased 43%. When an unsafe driver or poorly maintained truck causes a catastrophic crash that kills or injures other drivers and passengers on the roads, the current minimum from 1980 must cover everyone injured in the crash and is often not enough to pay for life-altering injuries. Insurance coverage must be adequate to cover lost wages and medical costs.

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The American Association for Justice works to preserve the constitutional right to trial by jury and to make sure people have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others—even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations. Visit http://www.justice.org.