LEO car insurance question

[Steelharp]

Hey, guys. I have a question about when you get pulled over (WASN'T ME). It is a family deal, though. When you guys pull someone over, and you ask for license and insurance... when presented with a valid ins card, can and do you guys have a way from checking in your car if it was canceled, or any other problem with it?

[EMTRN]

I can call the insurance company and verify, but I have never actually done it.  If it is not expired on the card, I don't worry about checking.  If it is expired or they don't have the card, I will write them for it.  When they come to court, if they bring proof that the insurance was valid and in effect at the time of the stop, our judge will dismiss the charge at no cost. If they acquired insurance after the stop, our judge will dismiss the charge but still require them to pay the fine.

 

Does that answer your question?

 

I will have people with cards that expired 2 years ago that tell me that I need to call their insurance company and verify that it is in effect.  Not going to happen.  I hate calling my own insurance company.  I'm not going to navigate through the menu and hold for a representative while sitting on the edge of a highway because they did not put the new card in their car. 

[Steelharp]

I think it answers it well enough. It's a long, drawn out story...

[EMTRN]

I have time. :pleased:

[Dolomite_supafly]

I wish the US was like Germany with respect to automobile insurance. The different insurance companies have a national database that shows if a person's insurance has expired. And if the customer does not renew within a short amount time after it has expired LE is notified. They also do not do month to month insurance policies. If I remember correctly it was 3 months at a time or longer.

 

You cannot register your car if you do not have insurance and it is verified electronically.

 

I hate people who do not have insurance or the means to do what is right. I have been in several accidents with those who are not insured and they have never paid a single dime towards restitution.

 

Dolomite

[battleop]

Seems like I remember watching a news story at one time this would happen in Georgia.  The problem was that they would report the lapse or expiration of insurance to the state and the state would suspend the driver's license.  Then when the insurance was back enforce they didn't always report that to the state and some people wound up in jail for driving on a suspended license.

[Patton]

What EMTRN said is fact. Some states the insurance company will Get with the DNV to suspend plates and license but I have never seen it in TN.

[Pain103]

Tennessee doesn't require insurance to register a vehicle and there is no way to check the status of insurance via our computers. We basically have to take it at face value. Some states link insurance information to the vehicle and it will return along with the registration if ran.

[Steelharp]

Thanks, Pain103. Without the whole story, that tells me what I wanted to know.

[Shark1591]

I’m not sure how it is now, but years ago in Florida, we had to show proof of insurance when we got our tags.  If the insurance was canceled before the tag expired we got a letter in the mail telling us we had to surrender our tag.

[dralarms]

Let your insurance lapse in NC, they will come take your tag off your ride. At least they used to.

[R1100R]

They use to take the tags in Georgia also. 

[Sam1]

Tennessee doesn't require insurance to register a vehicle and there is no way to check the status of insurance via our computers. We basically have to take it at face value. Some states link insurance information to the vehicle and it will return along with the registration if ran.

 

KY does, I sold a Supra about 7 or 8 years ago to a friend and he forgot to get it transferred. Since it had plates, but I dropped the insurance, the county clerk sent out a letter saying they were invalidating the registration unless I brought in proof of insurance. It was just a rolling chasis when sold, that's why we weren't worried too much about transferring it immediately.

[EMTRN]

I have heard that in Louisiana, they tow any vehicle without proof of insurance.  I love that idea, but I don't see how they have time for all of that.  If we started that here, I would be towing half of the vehicles I stop. It would be very time consuming.  

[MattCary]

Florida will suspend your license if your insurance company reports a lapse in coverage.