# Question about "Proof of insurance" cards **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752 "2013-10-20T21:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/1 "2013-10-20T21:38:38Z")
So we have to carry around Proof of Auto Insurance with us. But it’s a pain (and a pain to remember) to re-print them out every 6 months with new effective dates. Yes, I am lazy. Considering that the only thing that changes is the dates, would there be any problem with modifying the Proof of Insurance card to extend the effective date so I wouldn’t have to re-print it so often? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/2 "2013-10-20T21:39:59Z")
I get mine yearly when my policy renews. Why are yours every six months? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/3 "2013-10-20T21:43:03Z")
Because VA isn’t LI? Ours (MI) come every six months. Why are yours only once a year? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/4 "2013-10-20T21:51:42Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Because VA isn’t LI? Ours (MI) come every six months. Why are yours only once a year? I think you could dial it back- I was genuinely curious. I was wondering if there was something about her policy being every six months that might be relevant to answering her question, and since it was different than the scope of my experience I thought I’d ask. I’ve lived and owned cars in MO, CA, CT, NY and PA and always had once a year renewal dates on my car insurance. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/5 "2013-10-20T21:57:59Z")
FWIW I pay my State Farm bill every 6 months in Ohio, and get a new card every 6 months too. It says on the card “April-October” or “October-April”. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/6 "2013-10-20T22:02:20Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > FWIW I pay my State Farm bill every 6 months in Ohio, and get a new card every 6 months too. It says on the card “April-October” or “October-April”. Same here in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/7 "2013-10-20T22:06:31Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So we have to carry around Proof of Auto Insurance with us. But it’s a pain (and a pain to remember) to re-print them out every 6 months with new effective dates. Yes, I am lazy. > > Considering that the only thing that changes is the dates, would there be any problem with modifying the Proof of Insurance card to extend the effective date so I wouldn’t have to re-print it so often? Yes. Saying you are “lazy” doesn’t cut it. How many seconds does it cost you? Your state might penalize you if you can’t provide a valid current insurance card. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/8 "2013-10-20T22:09:29Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Yes. Saying you are “lazy” doesn’t cut it. How many seconds does it cost you? > > Your state might penalize you if you can’t provide a valid current insurance card. FWIW, One time we forgot to put the new insurance card in our cars and we got in an accident (not our fault). We technically got a ticket for not having proof of insurance, which was waived once the insurance company verified to the officer (at the scene) that we were insured. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/9 "2013-10-20T22:18:31Z")
No, you can’t just change your insurance card. Otherwise it’d be pretty darn easy to just buy insurance once, cancel it and keep changing the dates indefinitely. You’re _probably_ going to at worst get a fix-it ticket for driving around with an expired card, but with an obviously tampered-with one you’re courting trouble. Some states will accept electronic proof of insurance now, so if you can bring up an insurance card on your company’s website on your phone that’ll work. Some states also now have systems that link the insurance to your car registration, so most of the time they won’t even bother asking for proof of insurance since it comes up on the computer in the cruiser when they plug in your license plate number. So even though you’re still legally required to carry proof of insurance, you may not ever get asked for it. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/10 "2013-10-20T22:41:40Z")
In NY, and I’ve always gotten new insurance cards and a new policy every six months except when I was in the assigned risk plan. Those policies lasted a year. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/11 "2013-10-20T23:32:40Z")
I get a new card (and we have two cars, so it’s two new cards) every six months. I have a cheap little plastic card case (cheapie, like you use to hold business cards) that I store the card in, along with the registration card (required in Illinois) and the proof of emissions test and similar. I keep the case in the arm-rest, so I know where it is. It’s not a big deal to put the new cards in the cases every six months. The cards come a few weeks before the due date, so I actually usually have two cards in each case (the Apr-Sep and the Oct-Mar). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/12 "2013-10-21T00:20:28Z")
Thanks for the responses. I guess we’ll have to suck it up and expend the tiny bit of effort. ---
**Author:** ![RKBrumbelow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@RKBrumbelow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RKBrumbelow)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/13 "2013-10-21T00:20:41Z")
As has been stated you may not simply alter your insurance card. Doing so can potentially get you in some very hot water legally as you would be lying to a peace officer performing their duty and similar nastiness. You are far better off having insurance, but not having proof, than you are falsifying your card. The first is generally hand-waved, the 2nd can cost you serious money or jail time. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/14 "2013-10-21T00:32:52Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I think you could dial it back- I was genuinely curious. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/15 "2013-10-21T02:46:19Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So we have to carry around Proof of Auto Insurance with us. But it’s a pain (and a pain to remember) to re-print them out every 6 months with new effective dates. Yes, I am lazy. > > Considering that the only thing that changes is the dates, would there be any problem with modifying the Proof of Insurance card to extend the effective date so I wouldn’t have to re-print it so often? I don’t know if it’s universal yet, but in NY insurance cards always have a matrix of black dots that contain scannable, digital data. Don’t know if it has a name but it’s similar to a QR code only bigger. Anyway if you modify an old card and just change the date that digital info isn’t going to be correct. But more importantly, even if your insurance policy is valid if you present this modified card to a police officer you’re willingly & knowingly committing a much more serious crime than just driving w/o a current insurance card. So no, I would not recommend doing this… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/16 "2013-10-21T09:39:23Z")
> [@RKBrumbelow](#): > > As has been stated you may not simply alter your insurance card. Doing so can potentially get you in some very hot water legally as you would be lying to a peace officer performing their duty and similar nastiness. You are far better off having insurance, but not having proof, than you are falsifying your card. The first is generally hand-waved, the 2nd can cost you serious money or jail time. Just to reiterate, I was not suggesting driving without insurance- just altering one card to list a longer active period (which would be paid for). So the card would still be a truthful representation of my insurance. And I probably wasn’t really planning on doing it anyway… just complaining about a minor inconvenience. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/17 "2013-10-21T09:58:08Z")
If anyone is interested, we don’t have to carry any documentary proofs. In most cases the cops can do a check before they stop you and they know whose car it is and whether it is insured, taxed and tested. An uninsured driver may well have their car immediately towed, and left to make their own way home. If they don’t pay the fine, the tow charge and the pound fees, the car gets crushed. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/18 "2013-10-21T12:01:23Z")
Maybe where you are, that’s true, but Illinois says that you have to carry proof in your vehicle. [PDF “rules of the road” guide](http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf), last full paragraph on page 90, states you must carry it, and an [article on possibly allowing electronic forms of proof](http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x514118497/Legislation-would-allow-electronic-proof-of-insurance-in-Illinois) notes at the end: > [@](#): > > Illinois made auto insurance mandatory in 1990. But drivers can be ticketed for failure to carry proof of insurance, even if they have a policy in effect, said Henry Haupt of the secretary of state’s office. > > “The traffic citation is a must-appear-in-court offense,” Haupt said. “The law requires the motorist would just need to show proof of insurance in court for the ticket date, then the ticket would be dismissed.” ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/19 "2013-10-21T12:13:43Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > No, you can’t just change your insurance card. Otherwise it’d be pretty darn easy to just buy insurance once, cancel it and keep changing the dates indefinitely. You’re _probably_ going to at worst get a fix-it ticket for driving around with an expired card, but with an obviously tampered-with one you’re courting trouble. An expired card by itself can net you a penalty of driving without proof of insurance; that won’t break the bank. IANAL, but I expect that an expired card which has been modified to make it appear as though it were current is, technically, insurance fraud and could land you in deep legal doo-doo. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/20 "2013-10-21T13:20:28Z")
I got popped once for having an expired card. When I went to the judge and proved that I had insurance, it was dismissed so IMHO judges treat the law as more having insurance rather than proof of it although in most (all?) jurisdictions having insurance and no proof of it is breaking the law. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752.md?page=2)