# "License, proof of insurance, and registration please." Why registration? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848 "2019-06-21T14:42:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/61 "2019-06-25T21:18:02Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Interesting. The typical fuel scam in the USA works the other way around. If you fail to return the car with as much fuel as was in it when you got it, they charge you for the difference at an obscenely high rate. Oh, they do that in the UK as well in some companies, just varies. > [@EarlGrayHot](#): > > If you drive someone’s car with permission you are covered under their insurance. Not in the UK you’re not. My Great Uncle actually did have his cars insured for any driver for years (dunno why, it was an unusual expensive option, and I don’t remember him ever actually loaning one out), but in the last few years he’s been unable to find any company prepared to quote for it. Our system is one policy holder per vehicle, maybe plus named drivers, for whom you pay extra, then anyone else not named would need their own insurance to cover it. One quirk is that often only the policy holder can drive another car, other named drivers cannot, so I could lend my Dad my car but not Mum, as they share a car and the policy’s in his name. ---
**Author:** ![MarvinKitFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MarvinKitFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarvinKitFox)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/62 "2019-06-25T21:32:29Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Non-residents never can believe that there are 50 separate databases in the U.S. Plus a possible separate federal database, which usually does not exist. It’s actually amazing just HOW LITTLE the various states communicate with each other. Remember when people were being arrested for trying to drive with drivers licenses issued in the District of Columbia? THAT is how little cops know about the law in other states. ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/63 "2019-06-26T14:43:33Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I understand that - it’s illegal to drive without insurance in the UK too. But we don’t need to carry proof with us, as Police have access to databases detailing our insurance. I’m in Texas and here the police will see if you have insurance as soon as they punch in your license plate in their computer. We’ve had this for at least 10 years now. They still recommend you keep proof of insurance with you in case the info in the database is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/64 "2019-06-26T16:40:58Z")
Since most states have had compulsory insurance laws since the 1970s or earlier, carrying the card is undoubtedly simple inertia, dating to a time when the police didn’t have a database they could check from their patrol car. Like the registration slip, the DMVs in the various states probably don’t see any particularly good reason to do away with it just because the police officer can now simply look up the information. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/65 "2019-06-26T17:48:27Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > If you and I have a collision, and we are both insured, our insurance companies will work out who is responsible for what, and all of the repair bills and medical bills will be covered. If I have no insurance, your insurance company will get stuck with your bills, and they will raise your rates next year. Uninsured motorists make things more expensive for everybody. It is a common problem in states with large populations of illegal immigrants. Not in many states where if I am not at fault, they cant raise my rates. Nope, more GOP Xenophobic propaganda: > **[10 states with the most uninsured motorists](https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/10-states-with-the-most-uninsured-motorists-19236.aspx)** > > There were fewer uninsured drivers on the road this year, but producers in these states still have some new sales prospects. 1. Oklahoma: 25.9% 2. Florida: 23.8% 3. Mississippi: 22.9% 4. New Mexico: 21.6% 5. Michigan: 21.0% 6. Tennessee: 20.1% 7. Alabama: 19.6% 8. Rhode Island: 17.0% 9. Colorado: 16.2% 10. Washington: 16.1% > **[U.S. unauthorized immigrant population estimates by state, 2016](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/interactives/u-s-unauthorized-immigrants-by-state/)** > > Pew Research Center estimates that 10.7 million unauthorized immigrants, the lowest level in a decade, lived in the U.S. in 2016. View state by state data on unauthorized immigration. Ok ranks 27th. Florida does rank 8th, but Miss ranks like 42nd. No correlation. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/66 "2019-06-26T18:01:29Z")
Sorry, posted before i saw the Mod note. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/67 "2019-06-26T18:17:50Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > That’s not really true anymore though is it? I mean, I suppose to an extent it is, but driving records, registrations, etc ARE in fact able to be accessed across state lines and up to the federal level. Yes, but not always in a cop in a Patrol car, it may take some time at a desk. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/68 "2019-06-26T18:25:12Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I remember years ago some “it’s terrible what happened to this tourist” story in the local newspaper. A tourist from here in Canada was lying on the beach in Florida when he was run over by someone driving a vehicle from some Appalachian state with an insurance requirement of $25,000 minimum. Needless to say, even a few decades ago, that didn’t come close to covering the medical bills. … He didnt go back to Canada where his bills were covered? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/69 "2019-06-26T19:12:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > He didnt go back to Canada where his bills were covered? A critical-care medical evacuation from Florida to Canada isn’t exactly cheap either, and may not be advisable at all if the patient’s condition is unstable. > [@yabob](#): > > Since most states have had compulsory insurance laws since the 1970s or earlier, carrying the card is undoubtedly simple inertia, dating to a time when the police didn’t have a database they could check from their patrol car. Like the registration slip, the DMVs in the various states probably don’t see any particularly good reason to do away with it just because the police officer can now simply look up the information. I know in my state, even fairly recently the database wasn’t continuously updated, but each company updated in a batch process, typically no more than once a month. For example, if you bought insurance on the 2nd, but your insurer sent in updates on the 1st, it would be almost a full month until the state database reflected that fact. (The [Insurance Reporting Guide](https://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/kirg.pdf) on the state’s website says that is still what they do [“Kansas can only accept monthly loads of the entire book of business.”], although they’ve been introducing new systems by dribs and drabs over the past couple of years.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/70 "2019-06-26T19:13:05Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > A critical-care medical evacuation from Florida to Canada isn’t exactly cheap either, and may not be advisable at all if the patient’s condition is unstable. > > … No, but 25k should cover that. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/71 "2019-06-26T22:08:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, but 25k should cover that. I don’t know what year that happened, but no, currently $25K will NOT cover a critical-care air ambulance from Florida to Canada. If the person just needs a medical attendant, maybe, but for somebody requiring a full ICU-level airplane and crew, you’re probably looking at something closer to six figures. (I’m not sure how directly comparable it is, but a medical repatriation from Mexico to the United States starts at about $40K for a relatively uncomplicated transfer. Chubb (insurers) lists [some examples](https://www.chubb.com/my-en/articles/how-much-do-medical-repatriations-cost.aspx) of claims they’ve paid; while none are directly comparable to Florida-\>Canada, you can see the costs are much higher than your estimate. For example, the guy who was able to travel in business class from Thailand to Singapore with a doctor escorting him still ran up a $13K claim; repatriating a heart attack patient from Argentina to Australia, _after_ a month’s treatment locally, ran $412K.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/72 "2019-06-26T23:04:31Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > That’s not really true anymore though is it? I mean, I suppose to an extent it is, but driving records, registrations, etc ARE in fact able to be accessed across state lines and up to the federal level. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, but not always in a cop in a Patrol car, it may take some time at a desk. What I can access from across state lines is spotty at best. I certainly can’t access driving records. Depending on the state it’s sometimes difficult to figure out if a license or registration is valid. Some cops resort to asking for out of state help on a cop Facebook page I follow. > [@yabob](#): > > Since most states have had compulsory insurance laws since the 1970s or earlier, carrying the card is undoubtedly simple inertia, dating to a time when the police didn’t have a database they could check from their patrol car. Like the registration slip, the DMVs in the various states probably don’t see any particularly good reason to do away with it just because the police officer can now simply look up the information. As I said earlier in New Jersey we have no database of insurance we can check from our car or anywhere. It doesn’t exist. Maybe we are the only ones I don’t know. The driver has to provide the proof. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/73 "2019-06-27T00:28:43Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > What I can access from across state lines is spotty at best. I certainly can’t access driving records. Depending on the state it’s sometimes difficult to figure out if a license or registration is valid. Some cops resort to asking for out of state help on a cop Facebook page I follow. > … Yep, as a Fed I had issues with some state databases and others were easy. CA was rather difficult, and I was\* in\* CA. But oddly if a state wants $$ from a unpaid traffic ticket, they can track you down and freeze shit in other states very easily. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/74 "2019-06-27T19:47:07Z")
As far as OP’s question, I always assumed officers wanted to see the registration to A) See a paper document that verifies the vehicle is currently legally registered and B) See if the driver name & address and vehicle name & address match up. If no match then maybe more questions from the officer, like “Why do you have John Smith’s car?” ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/75 "2019-06-28T05:53:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, but not always in a cop in a Patrol car, it may take some time at a desk. I can get registration and want checks for all states from the mobile data terminal that’s in all our squads. Actual driving records (beyond the validity of a license) depends on the state I’m checking. > [@DrDeth](#): > > But oddly if a state wants $$ from a unpaid traffic ticket, they can track you down and freeze shit in other states very easily. Like what? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/76 "2019-06-28T11:57:23Z")
I just want to point out (for the _mumble_ time) that computerized systems are _far_ from perfect. They go down, they are unreachable\*, there are bad data in them, etc. One has to presume that there are non-trivial number of cars on the road whose registration papers don’t agree with what’s in the database. And if they don’t agree it’s a good idea for a human to check into this. The only way to do this is for the human to see the papers. Again, computerized systems are _not_ perfect! - I’ve spent quite a bit of time in areas of the US where the chances of a patrol car communicating with “home” is zilch. Remoteness, mountains and other terrain, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/77 "2019-06-28T15:55:52Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Like what? Indirectly, at least, that’s what happens. I received a ticket in Arizona for a moving violation (wasn’t paying attention driving old Route 66 :o ). I forgot about the ticket, since it happened early in vacation, and by the time I got home four weeks later, it was lost in the cobwebs of the mind. My failure to pay the ticket in a timely fashion caused Arizona’s DMV to suspend my driving privileges in that state. At this point, I remembered the ticket and paid the arrears. But what I didn’t realize was that I had to contact Arizona DMV and pay a small fee to get driving privileges restored (I assumed that was done automatically). Next year, South Carolina’s DMV notified me my license would be suspended unless I satisfied them that I had rectified the situation in Arizona. Coincidentally, I was about to leave on a driving trip that would have taken me through Arizona again. I spent an anxious day prior to leaving making Arizona happy, then hoping I had what I needed to make South Carolina happy (the instructions from SC weren’t really clear on what proof I had to have). Fortunately, by the time I was driving through Arizona again, I had satisfied both states. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/78 "2019-06-28T18:59:06Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > … > > Like what? They can freeze your DL renewal. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/79 "2019-07-31T06:28:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They can freeze your DL renewal. Only if you live in a state that’s in the National Drivers Compact, which mine isn’t. I know people who constantly get notices for unpaid tolls down in the flatlands. Nothing ever happens to them. Here, that is. Wouldn’t want to be them if they actually get pulled over down there. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848/80 "2019-07-31T08:26:53Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I understand that - it’s illegal to drive without insurance in the UK too. But we don’t need to carry proof with us, as Police have access to databases detailing our insurance. Spanish cops have a similar database, but the law hasn’t been updated: a while back I got a cop who apparently was bored or something and decided to ask for my last car-insurance receipt. I said “couple mins, it’s in the cellphone”, much to his confusion. His partner pointed out that “regs say it has to be in writing, don’t say it has to be on paper. The line item from the bank’s app counts as writing.” Like a lot of people, I don’t even get a paper receipt any more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-proof-of-insurance-and-registration-please-why-registration/835848.md?page=5)