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Thread: Alberta government approves digital proof of car insurance

  1. #1
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    Default Alberta government approves digital proof of car insurance

    Hopefully most companies offer this and registration is next.

    https://calgaryherald.com/news/polit...3-52a70cd7269a

    Drivers can now opt for electronic proof of car insurance instead of keeping a paper copy on hand, says the province.

    The move aims to modernize the process for consumers and follows similar steps taken in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, said associate minister of Red Tape Reduction Grant Hunter.

    “This is about increasing options to those who prefer to have access to these documents without the hassle of carrying the traditional paper copy,” Hunter said at a Monday news conference at the Alberta Motor Association.

    Insurance companies will decide whether or not to provide the service, which requires building a mobile app or an email application. The timeline for rollout is up to those companies.

    The province didn’t have an estimate for how much it would save consumers.

    “There will be a bit of a transition period, that’s why we don’t have that number,” said Celyeste Power, vice-president for the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Western Region, highlighting that it’s an opt-in service. “We feel this is very big for us to meet consumer needs.”

    The announcement is part of the government’s red tape reduction plan, Hunter said.

    Power noted that the change doesn’t eliminate a piece of red tape, but instead amends a process.

    “This is a much better rule,” she said.

    Earlier this month, the province revealed the first two industry panels that will propose ways to cut red tape for businesses, and pledged to unveil others soon. A 10-member panel will focus on tourism and hospitality, while a nine-person panel examines oil and gas.

    Hunter said he doesn’t have numbers on how many regulations have been cut or amended by the government so far, and said the first report on the issue would be released in 2020.

    He also said the government is using keywords including “shall” and “must” to find potential unnecessary regulations electronically in legislation.

    During the election campaign, the UCP promised to cut red tape and regulations in the province by one-third. The province rolled out related legislation during the recent session.

    Bill 4, the Red Tape Reduction Act, didn’t include a timeline, or the definition of an unnecessary regulation.

    Premier Jason Kenney said he wanted the public service to use discretion and be innovative in how to reduce red tape.

    The NDP previously criticized Bill 4, with critic Chris Nielsen calling the piece of legislation “a big ball of red tape” that “reads like a script of buzzwords.”

    The Edmonton-Decore MLA also voiced concerns about the health and safety of Albertans and the environment if regulations are cut.

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    I'm surprised it not all done from the licence plate and hows it so far behind here.

    Back in 2011, I was with my cousin driving to Heathrow airport. I was picking up my parents.
    A Police car pulls my cousin over and tells her she has no insurance. Apparently my cousin forgot to renew. But the police car picked it up from license plate recognition technology mounted to the car.

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    Wait this isn’t already a thing? Good thing I haven’t been pulled over lol

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    Quote Originally Posted by tonytiger55 View Post
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    I'm surprised it not all done from the licence plate and hows it so far behind here.

    Back in 2011, I was with my cousin driving to Heathrow airport. I was picking up my parents.
    A Police car pulls my cousin over and tells her she has no insurance. Apparently my cousin forgot to renew. But the police car picked it up from license plate recognition technology mounted to the car.
    I am surprised we have not merged the 2 systems.

    Is there an scenario where a legit plate on a car can be on the road without insurance?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo View Post
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    Wait this isn’t already a thing? Good thing I haven’t been pulled over lol
    I've shown a email pdf before however it was never legal so it could have been denied as proof.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Xtrema View Post
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    I am surprised we have not merged the 2 systems.

    Is there an scenario where a legit plate on a car can be on the road without insurance?
    Yes you can cancel insurance anytime.
    Also I don't think they actually check if your pink paper is valid at the registry, just that you have one...

    Paging @dannie

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    Quote Originally Posted by roopi View Post
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    I've shown a email pdf before however it was never legal so it could have been denied as proof.
    Which is hilarious.

    I registered a car last week, and the registry accepted the email pdf as proof of insurance.

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    I will admit I did it once when I was younger and poor. Got insurance and the car registered but a few months in I lost my job so I dropped my insurance, drove the car and when I got pulled over for a burnt tail light, cop looked at my pink slip that said I was insured and let me go. Thankfully got a job and was able to put insurance back on the car.

    The systems should be updated to have those linked to the license plate. It makes sense to me as long as it doesn't end up the plate follows the car (if you sell the car) and not the person.

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    Quote Originally Posted by roopi View Post
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    I've shown a email pdf before however it was never legal so it could have been denied as proof.
    I don't think there is anything specific in the law stating it has to be a hard copy. Just that you have to have proof of insurance, and a digital copy provides that proof.

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    Now waiting the first distracted driving ticket for pulling out your phone to show proof of insurance while behind the wheel. Hopefully I'm waiting forever.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Misterman View Post
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    I don't think there is anything specific in the law stating it has to be a hard copy. Just that you have to have proof of insurance, and a digital copy provides that proof.
    Did you even read the OP?

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    Do they take your phone with them or do you just have to show it?

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    Quote Originally Posted by roopi View Post
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    Insurance companies will decide whether or not to provide the service, which requires building a mobile app or an email application.
    I can already picture the apps the insurance companies will want you to use. Requiring access to GPS.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Misterman View Post
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    I don't think there is anything specific in the law stating it has to be a hard copy. Just that you have to have proof of insurance, and a digital copy provides that proof.
    So then why would they approve this? It was allowed the entire time so they decided to approve it to make sure it was still allowed? I've had a cop tell me that the email pdf was not proof and I just assumed that meant it wasn't legal even though he let me go with it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Homerrca View Post
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    I will admit I did it once when I was younger and poor. Got insurance and the car registered but a few months in I lost my job so I dropped my insurance, drove the car and when I got pulled over for a burnt tail light, cop looked at my pink slip that said I was insured and let me go. Thankfully got a job and was able to put insurance back on the car.

    The systems should be updated to have those linked to the license plate. It makes sense to me as long as it doesn't end up the plate follows the car (if you sell the car) and not the person.
    I think failure to produce insurance is one type of ticket. Not having insurance at all is a different and much more serious ticket.

    But I think presenting proof of insurance you know to be invalid is yet another an REALLY serious offense.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lasimmon View Post
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    Did you even read the OP?
    Did you even read the post I was replying to? What are you getting at?

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    Quote Originally Posted by roopi View Post
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    So then why would they approve this? It was allowed the entire time so they decided to approve it to make sure it was still allowed? I've had a cop tell me that the email pdf was not proof and I just assumed that meant it wasn't legal even though he let me go with it.
    What do you mean by "approve"? They are allowing insurance companies to stop sending you paper copies, and move strictly to electronic copy if they choose. This has nothing to do with road law of requiring proof of insurance.

    But yes, there is plenty of police officers that choose to be assholes. A lot of them work in traffic division.
    Last edited by Misterman; 08-13-2019 at 11:19 AM.

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    I think this is a step in the right direction, but the problem is what if the driver forgets his or her phone or the phone dies sometime during the day and the driver is pulled over? Then they will be issued a ticket for not being able to produce valid proof of insurance. I don't like the dependency on a personal electronic device for this.

    Now if there was some kind of central database drivers can upload/update their insurance information and the police can look up from their vehicle, I could go for that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster View Post
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    I think failure to produce insurance is one type of ticket. Not having insurance at all is a different and much more serious ticket.

    But I think presenting proof of insurance you know to be invalid is yet another an REALLY serious offense.
    Failure to produce just gets you a no insurance ticket for big bucks. You can generally just get that dropped by showing up with your proof of insurance at court if you happened to forget it at home the day you got the ticket.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Misterman View Post
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    Failure to produce just gets you a no insurance ticket for big bucks. You can generally just get that dropped by showing up with your proof of insurance at court if you happened to forget it at home the day you got the ticket.
    Eh, it's hit or miss and you can't assume they will drop it.

    Many years ago when I first started driving, my dad gave me an outdated insurance slip (given to him by the insurance company) and I got pulled over. I got a ticket for the failure to produce and not having insurance and they wouldn't drop the former when I went back with a valid insurance slip and a letter from the insurance company stating it was their mistake and I was actually properly insured. Their explanation was I still didn't provide proof of valid insurance when asked.

    I'm sure in most cases they'll drop it, but if you get a guy who's being a dick or having a bad day there's no guarantee.

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    I tend to keep a pink card in my wallet, in the car, and then usually have en email/photo on my phone somewhere.

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