Compliance and safety
Traffic stops, registration, inspections, and digital insurance cards
Proof of insurance is the small card or digital record that shows a policy is active. You will be asked for it at traffic stops, at registration, after a crash, and sometimes at inspection.
The insurer, the policy number, the policy period, the named insured, and the covered vehicles including VIN. Officers and clerks check the dates first, so replace the card each renewal.
Almost every state now accepts an electronic card displayed on a phone, but coverage of that rule is not universal and a flat battery is not an excuse. Save a PDF offline as well as keeping the app, and keep a printed copy in the vehicle.
At a traffic stop, at vehicle registration or renewal, at safety or emissions inspection in some states, after any crash, and when a state's electronic verification system flags your vehicle.
Many states issue a citation that can be dismissed by showing later that coverage was active at the time — sometimes for an administrative fee. That is very different from actually being uninsured, which carries substantially heavier penalties.
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