# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/21 "2013-10-21T14:56:24Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > 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. Yeah, exactly. I know you technically _could_ still get fined for only having an expired card, but I’ve never ever heard of anyone getting anything other than a fix-it ticket (i.e. where you just send in an updated card and the ticket gets waived) for it. I honestly don’t know what particular flavor of doo-doo you would get in by modifying the card, but I suspect at the very least it’s not going to amuse the cop, which might make him more inclined to give you a real no insurance ticket with no weaseling out clause. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/22 "2013-10-21T15:35:49Z")
> [@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 thing with me here in Iowa. The cards come in an envelope with the bill, which I actually do pay with a check. ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/23 "2013-10-21T16:07:47Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Same here in Ohio. 4509.103 Insurer to provide financial responsibility identification cards. (A) Each insurer writing motor vehicle liability insurance in this state shall provide financial responsibility identification cards to every policyholder in this state to whom it has delivered or issued for delivery a motor vehicle liability insurance policy. A minimum of one financial responsibility identification card shall be issued for every motor vehicle insured under a motor vehicle liability insurance policy. (B) A financial responsibility identification card shall be valid only for the policy period. The card shall be in a form prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles. It shall disclose the policy period and shall contain such other information as required by the registrar. ---
**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, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/24 "2013-10-21T16:33:20Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Yeah, exactly. I know you technically _could_ still get fined for only having an expired card, but I’ve never ever heard of anyone getting anything other than a fix-it ticket (i.e. where you just send in an updated card and the ticket gets waived) for it. In my case, I had insurance just didn’t put the new card in my wallet. While in traffic court (two separate occasions), I saw people who went and got insurance AFTER the ticket and the judge dismissed the no-proof ticket. So even if legally it’s not a fix-it ticket it seems like municipal judges treat it as such. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/25 "2013-10-21T16:43:35Z")
The usual government stupidity. I too am lazy and tend not to change out the cards. I have never had any problem showing the old one. However, the cards do not prove anything anyway. I always pay my bills, but am lazy and so I always have insurance, but not the proof. If I was clever and not so lazy I could get car insurance, get a card, and then cancel the insurance. In which case I would have the proof, but not the insurance. ---
**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, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/26 "2013-10-21T23:41:50Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > 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. But if you had paid for it, it would be reflected on your card. The only way your question makes sense would be a situation such as where you had a 6 month policy, knew you were going to maintain that policy for 12 mo and altered the card. In the above case you have altered the document and could face substantial penalties. Since your card at the time of printing always shows the term on it, it should not be possible to have a situation where you are printing a card with a shorter term than what you have in effect. Of course in my state, the state itself maintains the insurance database so cards are meaningless. Contrast to the state I grew up in where the card means everything and you can be fined large amounts for not having it. ---
**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 22, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/27 "2013-10-22T01:59:48Z")
> [@RKBrumbelow](#): > > But if you had paid for it, it would be reflected on your card. The only way your question makes sense would be a situation such as where you had a 6 month policy, knew you were going to maintain that policy for 12 mo and altered the card. > > In the above case you have altered the document and could face substantial penalties. Since your card at the time of printing always shows the term on it, it should not be possible to have a situation where you are printing a card with a shorter term than what you have in effect. Yeah, I’m not sure what the OP means exactly by ‘_modifying_’ his old ID card. At first I thought he meant scanning & Photoshopping it, but considering he says he’s too lazy to just print his new one (I assume they’re emailed to him) that doesn’t make any sense. I guess maybe he means just crossing off the old date and writing the new one on it? Something that couldn’t ever be considered as trying to fool anyone. Even so, a cop is still going to say, “You can’t do that, you need to have your new card with you”… ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/28 "2013-10-23T18:01:31Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Yeah, I’m not sure what the OP means exactly by ‘_modifying_’ his old ID card. At first I thought he meant scanning & Photoshopping it, but considering he says he’s too lazy to just print his new one (I assume they’re emailed to him) that doesn’t make any sense. I guess maybe he means just crossing off the old date and writing the new one on it? Something that couldn’t ever be considered as trying to fool anyone. Even so, a cop is still going to say, “You can’t do that, you need to have your new card with you”… The insurance company lets me download pdf files I can print out. Obviously, if the OPs insurance company did that, he could use a pdf editor to change the dates. It would almost certainly fool the cops, but it’s not worth the consequences of caught, even if the risk is small. ---
**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 24, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/29 "2013-10-24T04:14:52Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > The insurance company lets me download pdf files I can print out. Obviously, if the OPs insurance company did that, he could use a pdf editor to change the dates. It would almost certainly fool the cops, but it’s not worth the consequences of caught, even if the risk is small. Yeah but, like I said, what could possibly be any easier than opening the new emailed pdf file and clicking **PRINT**?!? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/30 "2013-10-25T03:42:41Z")
I’m with the OP. It’s a hassle to put the damn things in a place where they’ll eventually get to the car (a couple blocks away) every six months. It seems like I have to put a new one in the glovebox every time I use the car. And since the insurance is paid automagically from my credit card, there’s the initial hurdle of bothering to go through the stack of junk mail and actually note that new ones have arrived. ---
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/31 "2013-10-25T03:48:07Z")
I just got a new insurance card for a new car on a new plan in a new state yesterday. I’m looking at it now and it doesn’t seem to expire. I suspect its an insurance company thing, not a state thing. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/32 "2013-10-25T04:40:01Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Yeah but, like I said, what could possibly be any easier than opening the new emailed pdf file and clicking **PRINT**?!? i suppose you could use the PDF editor to run off a whole decade worth of cards and just keep them all in the glovebox… ---
**Author:** ![UncleMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e0b2c6/32.png) [@UncleMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleMoose)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/33 "2013-10-25T14:19:21Z")
I’ve always wondered about this - in Massachusetts, there are no proof of insurance cards issued or required. You have to have your insurance company stamp your registration application, but there is no separate card to carry around. If you cancel insurance, they cancel the registration. Around here, including the surrounding states, if you are pulled over you get asked for license and registration only. What happens if I’m driving in one of (what seems like the majority of) the states which requires proof, and I get pulled over? ---
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/34 "2013-10-25T15:46:46Z")
> [@UncleMoose](#): > > I’ve always wondered about this - in Massachusetts, there are no proof of insurance cards issued or required. You have to have your insurance company stamp your registration application, but there is no separate card to carry around. If you cancel insurance, they cancel the registration. Around here, including the surrounding states, if you are pulled over you get asked for license and registration only. > What happens if I’m driving in one of (what seems like the majority of) the states which requires proof, and I get pulled over? Give them you Mass. registration. Just like your drivers license extends beyond the state, so does your combined registrations insurance. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/35 "2013-10-25T16:50:20Z")
> [@UncleMoose](#): > > I’ve always wondered about this - in Massachusetts, there are no proof of insurance cards issued or required. You have to have your insurance company stamp your registration application, but there is no separate card to carry around. If you cancel insurance, they cancel the registration. Around here, including the surrounding states, if you are pulled over you get asked for license and registration only. > What happens if I’m driving in one of (what seems like the majority of) the states which requires proof, and I get pulled over? So how does that work if you want to change insurance companies? Old insurance cancels your registration and you have to re-register the vehicle with proof of the new policy ? Here, the old company notifies DMV that the policy has ended and the new company notifies DMV that they issued a policy. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/36 "2013-10-25T21:37:16Z")
In Georgia, the insurance companies all feed info to a database mantained by the state. The card is really superfluous since everything is now online and tied to one’s registration. The last time I was pulled over the cop asked for “licenece and insurance”. I couldn’t put my hands on a current copy of my insurance card, so I handed him and old one and said “All the current info is the same, will an expired card do?” He said “Sure, it’s all on line anyway”. I didn’t ask him why he wanted the hard copy card in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/37 "2013-10-25T23:04:01Z")
Your state may [already have adopted legislation](http://www.pciaa.net/web/sitehome.nsf/lcpublic/926?opendocument) allowing you to show proof of insurance on a smartphone or other electronic device. It’s not mentioned in the article but Florida adopted language in its statute last year allowing for it as part of a series amendments to the PIP statute. ---
**Author:** ![stoplight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@stoplight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stoplight)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/38 "2013-10-26T01:27:59Z")
I usually replace the insurance cards in both cars within a few days of receiving them. Couple weeks ago I got a ticket for talking on the cell phone and was asked to produce proof of insurance, wellllll I could not find the new card but produced the recently expired one. Copper says as long as the policy number is the same it did not matter as it relates to California. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752/39 "2013-10-26T03:16:46Z")
I’ve never had proof of insurance card in my life. The card comes in the envelope with the invoice for the next premium payment, and it is not proof of anything. If I don’t mail in a check, I don’t have insurance, but I still have the card. I take that card to DMV, they enter the policy number shown on the card, and hand me my validation sticker. I haven’t prroved anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-proof-of-insurance-cards/671752.md?page=1)