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March 12, 2012 By Ashley Nelson
California Assemblymember Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, has authored a bill that would allow California drivers to show proof of insurance and auto registration on an electronic device.
AB 1708, introduced in February, came out of a brainstorming session with Gatto’s staff. Gatto asked his staff to suggest legislation that deals with the “hassles of life,” and legislative director Aaron Moreno suggested an easier way for drivers to show proof of insurance if pulled over for a traffic stop.
Gatto said that many young Californians pay for auto insurance on a monthly basis and receive new proof of insurance every month. Losing paperwork in the glove box can result in a ticket. Allowing easier proof would bring California law up to date with technological advancements, according to Gatto.
“I would venture that every time that there has been a change in technology … that laws had to change,” Gatto said. “This just falls into the category of updating our laws.”
The law, if passed, would allow drivers to show proof of insurance and DMV registration on a smartphone or a laptop that’s handy, Gatto said. Drivers would be able to take pictures of the documents, pull the documents up in an email or ask insurance providers for an electronic document. Insurers likely would not be required to provide the electronic documents, but could if requested, he said.
The proposed legislation will also include civil liberties safeguards and safety precautions. The bill will specify that consent for law enforcement to view a driver’s registration or insurance on a smartphone does not equate to consent to search the entire contents of the phone, Gatto said. Drivers can also easily turn on their cellphones after pulling over so will not be encouraged to use their phones illegally.
“I don’t anticipate there being a justifiable pushback,” Gatto said of the law. “This is not a bill where we’re trying to make anybody’s life difficult. Our goal with this is to make people’s lives easier.”
Editor’s Note: This story is adapted with permission from Techwire.net
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"Clearance Auto" says that in states where it is permitted, will raise your rates based on your credit score. So if your credit situation has changed for the better by an appreciable amount, it is to your advantage to go shop around.
Why don't insurance carriers send an automated receipt to the CA DOT that can be recalled by an officer from their patrol vehicle, so they have a better chance of spotting a potential risk before accosting the driver? or maybe have someone show this legislator how easy it is to fake insurance or a driver's license on Photoshop.
I think Dave in NC has it right. Any electronic proof of insurance should come directly from the insurer to a state agency and be able to be queried by the law enforcement community in the field. Paper proof should still be accepted just in case there are the inevitable electronic glitches. [Our agency has had "standard templates" on shared severs revert to previous versions when IT restored from backup after a server crash and the latest versions were not on the backups. The same could happen with insurance lists.]
That's a real bright thinking committee. That's just what an officer needs--more people shoving out dark colored objects in the officers' direction in a nightime traffic stop. There have been near shootings when people have just held up cell phones to video the officer. Doesn't anyone think anymore?
The reason why some people pay their insurance premiums each month is because they only buy one month of insurance each year just so that they can get their car registered. The rest of the year they drive uninsured. Rather than introducing legislation to facilitate this registration fraud, I would suggest that a law be enacted that insurance be purchased in at least 6 month increments. The reason California is on a collision course with bankruptcy is because liberal have been in charge for so long. Rather than tackling the real problems (like over-regulation and over-taxation), liberals continuously stream out ridiculous feel-good legislation that does nothing but dupe the public to keep voting for the liberals. I guess we deserve what we get because we keep sending liberals to the California each election.
The state already receives proof of ins.from most of the Ins.companies in Cali.So all the have to do is connect that info with the state D.O.J. ie Police departments.
Why do you get a new proof of insurance every month just because you pay monthly? I pay my auto insurance quarterly and I don't receive a new proof of insurance each quarter. I just receive one annually. If a person isn't responsible enough to keep track of their proof of insurance, no matter how many times a year they receive it, maybe they aren't responsible enough to drive!