Presenting Proof of Insurance and Vehicle Registration by Phone

[netoonweb]

My question involves a traffic citation from the state of: California
The code doesn't say that the insurance card must be kept in the vehicle. So providing proof of insurance by showing him my card that's stored on my iphone should be sufficient, correct? It doesn't say anything about being in a paper form. Simply having all the information necessary on a card should suffice - but the card doesn't have to be in a paper form.
V C section 16028 - Evidence of Financial Responsibility Upon Request

[LawResearcherMissy]

So providing proof of insurance by showing him my card that's stored on my iphone should be sufficient, correct? It doesn't say anything about being in a paper form.

Possibly correct, possibly not.

It seems to me to be plain common sense that the image of your insurance card - so long as it's current - should be sufficient. I find no information settling the question either way. The idea of storing personal information on mobile devices is still a pretty new one, and your situation seems to be an untested one.

Contest the ticket. The worst that can happen is the judge tells you to pay up.

[That Guy]

"Evidence of financial resposibility" is defined under CVC section 16020. I think you're strectching the limits by suggesting that an "image" on your i-phone qualifies as defined but then again, and if your argument is rejected, you can still present it in paper form and only pay the $25 correction fee.

[adam_]

CVC 4000.37 references a "form" as submitted to the department and approved by the department.

As TG points out, however, 16020 states:

(d) For purposes of this section, "evidence of financial responsibility" also includes any of the following:

(1) The name of the insurance company and the number of an insurance policy or surety bond that was in effect at the time of the accident or at the time that evidence of financial responsibility is required to be provided pursuant to Section 16028, if that information is contained in the vehicle registration records of the department.


So an image on the iPhone seems to includes the items in d(1), if that data is the same as that in the DMV records.

Also, I thought that under CVC 16028, if you show that you did have insurance the charge is dismissed.

(e) A person issued a notice to appear for a violation of subdivision (a) may personally appear before the clerk of the court, as designated in the notice to appear, and provide written evidence of financial responsibility in a form consistent with Section 16020, showing that the driver was in compliance with that section at the time the notice to appear for violating subdivision (a) was issued. In lieu of the personal appearance, the person may submit by mail to the court written evidence of having had financial responsibility at the time the notice to appear was issued. Upon receipt by the clerk of that written evidence of financial responsibility in a form consistent with Section 16020, further proceedings on the notice to appear for the violation of subdivision (a) shall be dismissed