[Washington State] Didn't Have Proof of Insurance in the Vehicle

[Cascadian]

My question involves insurance law for the state of: Washington

My wife was cited for not having valid proof of insurance. The expired paperwork we had in the car was all the same policy information, but we didn't print out the most recent paperwork that showed it was still valid.

For Washington state does she need to respond to say she is contesting it, wait for the trial date, and show the judge our proof of insurance then? Or can she just go right away to the court clerk and show the clerk our paperwork to get it cleared up? Does it depend if the ticket was from city/county/state police? Is a printed PDF from the insurance company sufficient, or does the proof of insurance need to be more official than something I can print at home?

Thanks for any advice.

[adjusterjack]

For Washington state does she need to respond to say she is contesting it, wait for the trial date, and show the judge our proof of insurance then?

I don't know. Every traffic ticket I've ever gotten provided specific instructions on the ticket. What does her ticket say.

can she just go right away to the court clerk and show the clerk our paperwork to get it cleared up?

For want of any other solution, that would be an excellent idea to do right away. If the court wants anything else, she'll be advised.

Does it depend if the ticket was from city/county/state police?

I wouldn't think it matters as long as she goes to the court specified on the ticket.

Is a printed PDF from the insurance company sufficient, or does the proof of insurance need to be more official than something I can print at home?

When you got your renewal you were issued insurance cards that conform to the state's requirements. She should bring them along with the declarations page of the renewal.

[MaltbyMark]

Washington also allows pdf and jpeg shown on a phone
https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.30.030

[Cascadian]

I sent an email to the court with all the relevant information, including the PDF from the insurance company for proof of insurance, we'll see what they say.

[Cascadian]

The court clerk emailed back to say that they will have a judge review the documents and we should get an official response in the mail soon. Almost hard to believe the court's modernized enough to have this taken care of over email...

[PayrolGuy]

The court clerk emailed back to say that they will have a judge review the documents and we should get an official response in the mail soon. Almost hard to believe the court's modernized enough to have this taken care of over email...

It isn't taken care of yet. If the court has not replied by the court date your wife will need to show up.

[Cascadian]

I know it's not taken care of yet. There's no court date yet, if there will be a court date they will include that in their official response. Normally we'd snail mail in the response saying that she is contesting it, then get a court date back. The email we sent is taking the place of that response to say we're contesting it, and the court said not to mail in any additional response.

[PayrolGuy]

I know it's not taken care of yet. There's no court date yet, if there will be a court date they will include that in their official response. Normally we'd snail mail in the response saying that she is contesting it, then get a court date back. The email we sent is taking the place of that response to say we're contesting it, and the court said not to mail in any additional response.

What I was trying to say was that don't count 100% on the email. If the clerk forgets it or the judge ignores it, it is on your wife, not them.