§ 47-701. Guaranteed arrest bond certificates - Automobile clubs or associations.

(a) Any automobile club or other association may issue guaranteed arrest bond certificates valid for one (1) year from date of issue as provided in this act in an amount not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) on each undertaking, provided such certificates have been fully guaranteed or reinsured by an insurer then licensed by the Insurance Commissioner to transact surety business in this state and such guarantee or reinsurance by the insurer covers all certificates issued by the automobile club or other association during the term of the guarantee or reinsurance written by the insurer.  Such insurer shall first file with the Insurance Commissioner an undertaking thus to become surety.  Such guaranteed arrest bond certificates may be issued also in conjunction with automobile liability insurance policies by any insurer authorized to then write automobile liability insurance within this state upon such insurer filing with the Insurance Commissioner an undertaking thus to become such surety.

(b) Such undertaking shall be in the form prescribed by the Commissioner of Insurance and shall state the following:

(1) The name and address of the automobile clubs, association or companies with respect to the quaranteed arrest bond certificates of which the surety company undertakes to be surety.

(2) The unqualified obligation of the surety company to pay the fine or forfeiture in an amount not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) of any person who, after posting a guaranteed arrest bond certificate with respect to which the surety company has undertaken to be surety, fails to make the appearance to guarantee which, the guaranteed arrest bond certificate was posted.

(3) The term "guaranteed arrest bond certificate" as used herein means any printed card or other certificate issued by an automobile club, association or insurance company to any of its members or insureds, which card or certificate is signed by the member or insured and contains a printed statement that such automobile club, association or insurance company and a surety company or an insurance company authorized to transact both automobile liability insurance and surety business, guarantee the appearance of the person whose signature appears on the card or certificate and that they will in the event of failure of the person to appear in court at the time of trial, pay any fine or forfeiture imposed on the person in an amount not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).

(c) Any guaranteed arrest bond certificate with respect to which a surety company has become surety, or a guaranteed arrest bond certificate issued by an insurance company authorized to transact both automobile liability insurance and surety business within this state, as herein provided, shall, when posted by the person whose signature appears thereon, be accepted in lieu of cash bail or other bond in an amount not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) as a bail bond, to guarantee the appearance of such person in any court in this state, including all municipal courts in this state, at such time as may be required by such court, when the person is arrested for violation of any motor vehicle law of this state or any motor vehicle ordinance of any municipality in this state, except for the offense of driving under the influence of intoxicating liquors or of drugs or for any felony committed prior to the date of expiration on such guaranteed arrest bond certificates; provided, that any such guaranteed arrest bond certificates so posted as bail bond in any court in this state shall be subject to the forfeiture and enforcement provisions with respect to bail bonds in criminal cases as otherwise provided by law or as hereafter may be provided by law, and that any such guaranteed arrest bond certificate posted as a bail bond in any municipal court of this state shall be subject to the forfeiture and enforcement provisions, if any, of the charter or ordinance of the particular municipality pertaining to bail bonds posted.

(d) The State Insurance Commissioner shall notify in writing each chief of municipal police department, each county sheriff and each judge of the district court of this state, the name of each surety, insurance company, automobile club or association authorized to issue guaranteed arrest bond certificates, as provided in this act.  The Insurance Commissioner shall also inform such officials of each additional organization which may thereafter become qualified to issue such certificates and in the event any such organization shall be disqualified from issuing such certificates, the Commissioner shall forthwith inform such officials of such disqualification.

Amended by Laws 1987, c. 226, § 8, operative July 1, 1987.