In the past few years I’ve noticed that both copies of the auto insurance cards that come with my policy are marked “This card must be carried in the insured vehicle… etc.” (My motorcycle insurance cards, from an entirely different company, say the same thing, btw, so it must be an across-the-board command.)
Like a good sheep, I comply with the instruction. But I’m wondering if it is smart, or even correct. After all, if I lose one, I lose them all.
I don’t think this was the way it was done back, oh, about a decade ago. Then, one card was marked for the vehicle, and one card was marked for safekeeping at home. This makes sense to me.
I have a sneaking suspicion that when the cards began to be laser-printed, some lazy document designer failed to see that the two cards were not exactly identical and used the same text for both templates and no one has bothered to change it.
Can someone shed some light on this matter? Should I carry both cards in the car, or do like I used to do and carry one in the car and leave the other at home?
I no longer live in New York - I’m across the river in Hoboken, NJ. But I can say that, shortly after I switched my car insurance back to a NY address (in preparation for a relocation that didn’t happen), my car was towed for an alleged parking violation. I was required to present the police with proof of insurance in order to reclaim the car but, of course, the insurance cards were in the vehicle. Three hours of walking between home, police station, towing garage, home, and the police station later, I was able to reclaim the car.
Long story short: keep one of those cards in your wallet; if you you need to present your insurance cards, you’re going to be with your car or trying to get it back!
What would you do if you had two cars on the same policy?
You are required to show proof of insurance incase of an accident or if a police officer asks. You are not required to two copies of said proof with you.
So, keep a copy at home or in your wallet. Hell, go crazy and make a Xerox copy and keep one both places.
I’m 99% sure that insurance cards are for a specific vehicle, so your insurance company would send two per car covered by the policy. In my state (Colorado), one is required to be in the vehicle, the other for your records.
I’m agree that the OP’s “card must be carried in insured vehicle” on both is either a typo or a result of a copy / paste on whatever printing template is used for them. IANAL and IANAnInsuranceAgent, so the safest thing may be to contact your insurance company for clarification.