Patrick

Isn't having insurance but not having proof of it with you sort of like having seat belts but not wearing them at the time?

And just for the record, if you are stopped by the police and don't have your proof of insurance with you, what should happen? How will the follow up happen until you can prove it? Will a policeman drive home with you? Should they lock you up until someone can bring it? Or do they just let you go and say, "send us a copy when you have a few extra minutes"? Yea, right, like what kind of follow up would that be? You and I both know the kind of record keeping that would require is the same as saying, "OK, I believe you really have insurance, so we'll just forget it."

GoTravel

Patrick, couldn't you just call your insurance provider on your cell phone? Or have the cops do this?

I am insured by Geico and they send me those little cards every six months. I have them everywhere.

Patrick

Not a problem for me either, I have those cards myself. But who are you gonna call when stopped at night? And for the record, I don't have a cell phone and hope I never do again. My point was, why not carry proof of insurance??? It seems so easy and so logical, not to mention so legal.

beachdreams

Patrick -

When a guy hit my car and I had to go to court, I found out that people who had been pulled over and did not have their driver's license and/or insurance card with them, they had a court date. They would just show their license or card and then they were dismissed with a warning of a fine the next time. By the way, this is in Atlanta, GA. This was also a few years ago so I do not know if this is still the norm or if it depends on the judge.

seniormsuedu

thanks antmiril. the new law on proof of insurance in mich. was just passed by the legislature. in the past, if you could prove you carried insurance after being stopped, your fine was deleted.

in an article in the local paper, one driver said they had 6 vehicles for 3 drivers. if they couldn't find the proof at the moment (where does the son, wife keep it, etc.) they would pay as much as someone who does not have insurance. the police will not contact your insurance company. another driver was ticketed after purchasing a car and driving it home.

nice to know fodorites are very careful about vehicle paperwork. for the evidently 2 or 3 people who slip onto michigan highways without insurance proof an arm-length away, just thought you'd like to know.

caribtraveler

patrick..come on now..are you serious? having insurance and not being able to prove it IS NOT THE SAME than not having insurance.
the cop gives you a ticket for not having the card with you. then you go to court and show the insurance card and the fine gets throw out...details depend on the state but that's the gist of it.
it hasn't happened to me but i know people who it happened to.
once in florida, i got stopped for speeding (oh well) i had my insurance card but didn't have my registration (don't ask me why). i got a ticket for that. once i proved i had registration, the fine was thrown out.

caribtraveler

ugh! i meant it's not the same as driving without your seatbelt. one can lead you to dying, the other..well,...just a fine.

tomboy

I speak with authority as a Michigan resident; the fine is for having no certificate. Some jurisdictions tear up the ticket if you show the court your retrieved certificate, and some apparently don't.
Michigan relies on the motorist to always be insured, and has no arrangement such as NY, SC, etc, for the insurance companies to notify the state. Of course, I saw a survey last week that said 40-50% of drivers were uninsured. Legislators say it would cost too much. Apparently Detroit area legislators are the ones which vote against insurer notification of state. Maybe they feel it would cost their urban voters too much, not the state government.

wanetabrogan

Not carrying proof of insurance is something I would never take a chance with on my TX car insurance ( http://hartfordauto.thehartford.com/...nsurance.shtml )!

Dukey1

OK, so you don't carry the proof and what happens?

You get pulled over for speeding. Does the officer ask to see your proof of insurance? (probably not)

Your insurance company does not give you "two cards" so what do you do? You copy the one they DID give you and put that one in your wallet; you download a second copy from your insurance company website. What? You meen not every company HAS a website from which you can download insurance cards? Really?

You have the insurance policy # memorized; does that mean you still need the "proof?"

vjpblovesitaly

Wanetabrogan, how did you find this 7 year old thread?

nytraveler

Well - I can see a $150 fine for not having the proof with you. If you really don;t have insurance they should pull your license and registration until you do - as well as a much larger fine. (We pay $150 here for parking tickets.)

michelleNYC

Agree vjp. I didn't think The Hartford would need to stoop to this type of marketing...

swalter518

The same standard exists in Illinois and to piggy back on the importance of carrying your card, I prosecute for several villages. The practice used to be that if you show up in court with proof of insurance, the ticket gets dropped without a fine. With the current economic situation however,several municipalities are dropping that practice and instructing prosecutors to go forward and push for a fine PLUS court costs if you go to court.

gardendiva

This is a "your stupidity will no longer be overlooked" fine that was passed in Michigan, I am going to guess, about 7 years ago to generate revenue. At the same time many similar fines were put into place and unless you get assessed one, you don't remember that they exist. Municipalities can dismiss the ticket issued, however, a person will still be assessed the fine when they go to renew their license tabs. May moving violations also carry $100 - $500 multiple year fines in addition to the cost of the ticket.

I am not sure what the issue is with multiple copies of your proof of insurance being provided by your insurance company. The state gives you only one copy of your license and you are required to have it with you when you drive.