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From: gordon@cae780.UUCP (Brian Gordon)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.legal
Subject: Re: uninsured motorists
Message-ID: <1226@cae780.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 11:59:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: cae780.1226
Posted: Wed Aug 14 11:59:35 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 05:41:18 EDT
References: <586@leadsv.UUCP>
Reply-To: gordon@cae780.UUCP (Brian Gordon)
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix, Inc. (CAE Systems Division), Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 29
Xref: linus net.auto:6631 net.legal:1709

In article <586@leadsv.UUCP> rhode@leadsv.UUCP (Chris Rhode) writes:
>
>Recently, a law was enacted [in CA] requiring every driver to have proof of insurance
>with them at all times.  Typically this consists of a small card supplied to
>a driver by his/her insurance company.  The law states that an officer can
                                                                       [---]
>ask to see this card any time you are stopped....failure to have the card is
>an offense punishable by something like a $500 fine, and possible license
>revocation.  Unfortunately, I don't see this as helping much, since if a
>person can avoid a run-in with an officer he/she can still get away with
>driving uninsured.  Unless officers routinely ask to see the proof-of-insurance
>for things like traffic tickets, the only time it will be asked for is, of
>course, when the person is involved in an accident....and if the person doesn't
>have one at that point, then it's not any different than before (i.e. the
>other person is stuck without somebody to pay the medical and repair bills).
>Except maybe the possibility of license revocation will scare a few people
>into getting insurance.  I hope they do revoke licenses in most cases.

Fortunately, the law is a little stronger than inplied here.  If you are 
stopped for any reason, the officer is REQUIRED to ask for the proof of 
insurance.  As I heard the other provisions, there are no provisions for a
"fix it ticket" (where you must present the card to someone within x days
and get the ticket signed-off), and you must be fined if you didn't have it
when requested.

FROM:   Brian G. Gordon, CAE Systems Division of Tektronix, Inc.
UUCP:   tektronix!teklds!cae780!gordon
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