, Most States Don’t Accept Electronic Ones Yet
You've probably seen the auto insurance commercial where a pig gets stopped by police, and when asked for his insurance card, he hands over his phone, which conveniently displays an electronic version of his insurance card. Sounds great, right? One less card to carry in your wallet. Sadly, most states don't allow electronic proof of insurance or registration when you're pulled over by the cops, so keep that paper card nearby.
Our friends at The Consumerist note that the laws allowing you to present electronic proof of registration and insurance coverage are a patchwork across the United States, and currenlty only 11 have laws on the books that expressly allow it:
According to the folks at Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, 11 states now have laws or regulations on the books that allow for electronic insurance cards to be used for both vehicle registration and when being pulled over by the police - Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wyoming.
In Colorado, drivers can use the e-cards for registration, but will not for police pull-overs.
PCIAA says that the governors of Kansas and Indiana are expected to sign legislation in their states, while several other states - Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin - have pending legislation on the matter.
The legality of flashing your phone as a way to prove you have insurance is still in question, even if some insurance companies want you to think it's just that easy if you get pulled over by the police. Plus, while it definitely looks like more states are moving to allow electronic insurance cards, right now it's probably not a good idea to leave home without your paper one, just in case.
The piece also goes into some of the privacy rights involved with handing your phone to the police when they ask for insurance (do you give them the right to search your phone by doing so?) and touches on how police are supposed to know an electronic card is a valid one and not an elaborate photoshop. Hit the link below to read more.
You've probably seen the auto insurance commercial where a pig gets stopped by police, and when asked for his insurance card, he hands over his phone, which conveniently displays an electronic version of his insurance card. Sounds great, right? One less card to carry in your wallet. Sadly, most states don't allow electronic proof of insurance or registration when you're pulled over by the cops, so keep that paper card nearby.Our friends at The Consumerist note that the laws allowing you to present electronic proof of registration and insurance coverage are a patchwork across the United States, and currenlty only 11 have laws on the books that expressly allow it:
According to the folks at Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, 11 states now have laws or regulations on the books that allow for electronic insurance cards to be used for both vehicle registration and when being pulled over by the police - Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wyoming.
In Colorado, drivers can use the e-cards for registration, but will not for police pull-overs.
PCIAA says that the governors of Kansas and Indiana are expected to sign legislation in their states, while several other states - Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin - have pending legislation on the matter.
The legality of flashing your phone as a way to prove you have insurance is still in question, even if some insurance companies want you to think it's just that easy if you get pulled over by the police. Plus, while it definitely looks like more states are moving to allow electronic insurance cards, right now it's probably not a good idea to leave home without your paper one, just in case.
The piece also goes into some of the privacy rights involved with handing your phone to the police when they ask for insurance (do you give them the right to search your phone by doing so?) and touches on how police are supposed to know an electronic card is a valid one and not an elaborate photoshop. Hit the link below to read more.