After years of spinning their wheels on the issue of mandatory auto insurance, members of the House voted Thursday to make every Mississippian purchase insurance or have pay a heavy fine.

The bill, which now must pass the Senate, would slap a $1,000 fine on motorists caught cruising state highways without proof of insurance. And as a way to encourage those law breakers among us, the $1,000 fine would be reduced to $100 if the offender immediately purchases insurance.

A companion bill would suspend the driver’s license of uninsured drivers who cause accidents.

Both issues seem like no-brainers.

And they are, to a great extent.

Critics say that making insurance mandatory will cause all of our rates to increase.

And those critics are probably right.

Insurance companies are likely to increase rates slightly to offset the burden being forced to take on more high-risk clients.

Not that we enjoy the thought of paying more for insurance, but a slight premium increase would more than be worth the peace of mind knowing that more motorists would be forced to buy insurance.

Our neighboring states of Alabama and Louisiana already have similar laws.

Debate in the Senate, where similar bills have easily passed in previous years, was expected to begin as early as today.

We applaud the members of the House for showing the leadership necessary to get the bill passed, and we urge senators to pass the bill.

Passage of the law will force some folks to be a little more responsible behind the wheel and help protect everyone driving on our roadways.