FRANKFORT, Ky. - No one likes getting pulled over by a police officer, especially when they don’t have their proof of insurance or realize the card is expired.
That's what happens to Maxwell the GEICO pig in a commercial that started airing in February.
http://youtu.be/xJrgcmqbuhQ
The pig uses a smart phone app to show proof of insurance, and soon Kentucky drivers will be able to do the same.
HB 164 authorizes county clerks to accept an electronic version of the cards, but you’re still required to keep a hard-copy in your vehicle.
“Print that off and have it in your car, because if you were to get stopped and you’re not getting proper signal or for whatever reason it’s not coming through, you’re still going to get a citation because we can’t validate that,” says Kentucky State Police spokesman Trooper Corey King.
Paper insurance cards are also helpful if there is a wreck.
“If you were involved in some type of wreck where you were injured, taken to the hospital, or heaven forbid a fatality of some sort, we can still look in the glove compartment to find the registration, the paperwork, and the hard copy of insurance.”
And another reason to keep the paper copy: King says law enforcement will still have to validate digital insurance cards during a traffic stop, meaning the officer would have to take the driver’s phone back to the cruiser.
According to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, several other states are considering allowing e-Cards. Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, and Minnesota have already made the change.
The new law will take effect in Kentucky this summer.
