ALWAYS keep a PAPER COPY of your proof of insurance in your vehicle

Credit: www.press-herald.com


ALWAYS make sure there is a paper hard copy of proof of insurance in your glove box and not just a digital file on your phone. This applies even if the vehicle is rented.

NEVER give your phone to a cop. And I am not “anti-cop”. When cops are properly arresting violent criminals, I am their number one supporter. And if all the cop does is look at your digital proof of insurance that is one thing.

However, your phone contains a veritable cornucopia of personal information. And if a cop starts thumbing around on your phone you waive a lot of your Fourth Amendment privacy protections. Even though many police departments forbid this practice, cops do occasionally overstep their bounds. You don’t want to jeopardize your rights.

And I have been falsely accused by one of Aurora, Colorado’s finest. On the night of January 30, 2020, I was at fault in a small accident. I was driving a rented vehicle and unbeknownst to me, Hertz – I won’t change the name to protect the guilty – had not updated the insurance information that is to be kept in the glove box.

I tried explaining this to the cop and he wasn’t having it. Even though he could have looked at the vehicle for 20 seconds and discerned that it was rented, he still wrote me a 4-point ticket for not carrying proof of insurance.

Even though numerous people told me the ticket would be thrown out – and it was – it was not fun having this hanging over my head for over 5 months.

And while it might appear that I have wandered off-topic, my point is this: cops do overstep their bounds every now and then and you have to be vigilant about your rights.

The easiest way to do this is to make sure there is a paper hard copy of your proof of insurance in your glove box and not just a digital file on your phone. 

And do this even if the vehicle is rented.

 

30+ carriers ... 30+ states
Auto-Home-Commercial
Life & Group Benefits in Colorado

Doug Newman
303-902-5503

epsinsures@gmail.com - www.epsinsures.info










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