Texas has enacted a new law that states motorists who drive uninsured vehicles will be towed. After a car is towed, a police officer is then responsible for ensuring the driver is not stranded.

“Driving in Texas is a privilege, not a right,” Harlingen police spokesman David Osborne said. Being shuttled around town by a police officer, however, is apparently a right.

State police are stressing  that there are certain financial requirements that must be met before motorists can legally drive on a Texas road. If a driver does not meet these requirements, like having his or her vehicle insured, the car will be impounded.

Once towed, drivers must prove at least six months of prepaid insurance and pay a host of fees before retrieving their cars, including a $297 citation fee, towing and storage fees and other wrecker company charges.

So why spend all that time and energy to impound the cars? Maybe it’s because Texas would rather have its officers impounding cars and taxiing their owners than patrolling the streets. Certainly a cheaper and more efficient alternative might have been reached by having offenders mail proof of insurance along with payment of their tickets. Then again, Texas residents must surely feel safer as their men and women in blue spend their time providing a taxi service, courtesy of the taxpayers.