To be eligible, you must meet the following requirements: 1) income for 1 person can’t exceed: $25,525; for 2 people: $34,225; or 4 people: $51,625; 2) you must be a good driver, which means no more than 1 at-fault, property-damage-only accident; or no more than 1 point for a moving violation in the past 3 yrs; 3) you must be at least 19 years old; 4) you must have had a driver's license continuously for the past 3 years and; 5) your vehicle must be valued at less than $20,000. The Stockton Record interviewed Doug Heller, executive director of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Consumer and Taxpayer Rights, which has advocated for the low-cost program since before its inception in 1999. According to the Stockton Record, Heller said “The problem with the program is not the program.

It's the awareness factor. First insurees have to hear about the program; then they have to make a phone call and get a list of insurance agents authorized by the state to sell the insurance. Then they have to find an agent on the list willing to sell the insurance. Insurance agents don't make a lot of money on this product, so they're not real interested in pushing it," he said. “But the program has value to agents as a way to introduce a segment of low-income consumers to the insurance market, and the coverage has value despite the low numbers,” Heller said. As the program grows statewide and becomes better known, it is expected that the number of uninsured motorists will decrease. For more information on signing up for the program, contact the California Department of Insurance at 1-866-602-8861.The Stockton Record contributed to this story.