Cedar Park is taking a step toward making sure motorists in the city are properly insured.

The Cedar Park Police Department will show zero tolerance and issue citations to any and all drivers who have been stopped or involved in a collision if they can not show proof that they have minimum state-required auto insurance.

Cedar Park City Councilman Tony Dale said the problem was placed on the city's radar by one concerned resident.

"We had a resident come to us at a City Council meeting several months ago," Dale said. "He had been struck by an uninsured motorist, and he came to the City Council to tell us about that, and he said he would like to see us take more active measures to enforce the law."

Council asked staff to find more information about the issue of uninsured drivers and bring it back to a future City Council meeting. At a subsequent meeting, the council was told driving without proof of insurance was one of the top three most frequently issued citations in city limits.

Cedar Park police previously had the discretion to decide between a warning and a citation, but the new zero-tolerance policy means officers no longer have a choice. Dale said part of the reason for adopting this policy is to raise awareness, and Cedar Park Police Chief Henry Fluck said it aims to reduce citations in the end.

"With this strengthened enforcement, we hope to actually see a decrease in the number of citations for failure to display proof of or maintain financial responsibility, and increase the number of drivers who carry the minimum liability coverage as required by law," Fluck stated in a news release.

According to the City of Cedar Park, all citations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Drivers who are cited may present proof the vehicle in question was insured at the time of the offense to the court to have the citation dismissed.