A bill that could cost Massachusetts car owners $millions sneaked into law on the very last day of an informal legislative session. It passed without any debate, probably with very few legislators knowing anything about the bill or its cost to Massachusetts drivers. It was called the Windshield Wiper Law (WWL) and it mandated, by force of law, that drivers turn on their headlights whenever they turned on their windshield wipers. To add to the state's violation of common sense, the law also stipulated that driver must turn on their headlights 1/2 hour after sunset.
The WWL stands as one of the most intrusive, uncalled for piece of misguided legislation to interfere in the lives of citizens. Do we really need the government to tell us when to turn on our headlights? The Law is a glaring example of government overreach; an unnecessary chipping away of personal freedom. Simply put, it is an unwarranted intrusion of the state in the simple act of turning your car headlights on.
What was the justification of the new law? The same smokescreen that government uses to justify any law that intrudes on citizens rights: public safety. But nowhere did state officials present any studies that gave evidence that the windshield law would save lives or prevent accidents. The law is based on assumptions not supported by facts. But, then, when does government need facts to justify some of their more egregious power grabs? But there is worse to come about this legislative farce.
To add to the unsavory smell attached to this law was the $5.00 fine a driver was charged for not having his wipers on. Why $5.00? That amount does not even cover the cost of issuing and recording the violation. But when the old adage of "follow the money" is applied to this legislative subterfuge, the special interest behind the WWL rears its ugly head. Written into the law is the stipulation that, along with the $5.00 fine, a headlight violation can add an insurance surcharge to auto premiums. Insurance surcharges add hundreds of dollars to car insurance premiums for as long as six years. For Massachusetts car owners the surcharge would be added to already exorbitant auto insurance premiums, some of the highest in the country.
Whose hidden hand that gets these millions of dollars of surcharges? The ever-greedy, very profitable insurance companies. The $millions paid to them by the surcharge would be windfall profits and would never be justified by accident claims caused by a turned-off headlight. But insurance companies are very good at profiting from excess premiums with little payout. Fortunately, not all Massachusetts legislators are asleep or in the pocket of insurance companies. A number of legislators, who are truly looking out for their constituents, have filed a bill to repeal the WWL. The repeal would stop an unwarranted gift to insurance companies at a cost to Massachusetts working families; let us see if the repeal passes.