My Summer of stupid continues.

[Sikboy]

Ok, so back in April I switched Car insurance. I went from Geico to All State. When I switched, there was some confusion between the companies as to who was covering my car. For 1 day I had No coverage, and then for about a week I had two policies. Very nice. Whatever. So it all gets straightened out, no big deal. Except that I never recieved my new Insurance Cards. Sure, I got the Bill, no problem, just not the ID cards. I talked to the All State people again, and they were going to be sure that they would send those right out to me. I haven't really be stressing about this, since in McKinney, you just have to haul your proof of insurance down to the municipal court and you're good to go. Not fun, but no big deal.

Yesterday I was pulled over for having a tail light out. Yep. No proof of insurance. I wasn't in McKinney. I was in Highland Park, and now, through my own stupidity, I'm nailed with a $288 fine

****.

lol. I suck.

-Sik

[Dichotomy]

good thing you're in Highland Park.  In Arlington they tow your car.

[john9001]

dammed tail light scofflaws. you criminals need to be taken off the road.

[Hornet33]

Do you at least have a copy of your policy?? I never bother with the little cards they send me, I always keep an envelope with a copy of my entire policy in my truck. It's kind of fun to hand over an envelope full of papers to the police and see the "what the heck is this?" look on their face. It's even better when I tell them, that's a complete copy of my insurance policy.

[Gunthr]

don't find yourself guilty, Sikboy.   You have as much right to leniency as anybody.... probably more.

[culero]

If you'd stayed with Geico, you could just download a proof of insurance in *.pdf at any time.

[Geary420]

In Wisconsin we are not required to have proof of insurance.  I have heard though that if I gett pulled over across the river in MN it's like a $1,000 fine, anyone know if this is true?

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Hornet33
Do you at least have a copy of your policy?? I never bother with the little cards they send me, I always keep an envelope with a copy of my entire policy in my truck. It's kind of fun to hand over an envelope full of papers to the police and see the "what the heck is this?" look on their face. It's even better when I tell them, that's a complete copy of my insurance policy.

And I'd be willing to bet that if he had his policy envelope with him he woudl also have had his card.

In fact. I'd be willing to bet that if he got the big white envelope from Allstate that contains the copy of his policy coverge and he looked through it real good. He'd find the insurance card in there.

Didnt get a ticket but one day when I was cleaning out my glove box I realised I didnt have a current card in there and didnt remember getting one. So I called Allstate and told em they forgot to send it. So they sent out a new one.

Two days before it arrived I was looking through that big white envelope and low and behold. attached to a big sheet of paper.
There it was.

[lazs2]

I know a mexican guy that has never had insurance and has been cited at least 5 times and never even bothers to go to court.   He just sells the car and gets another one.

lazs

[MiloMorai]

Why would anyone want to be insured with All State? Never heard anything nice being said about them.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by MiloMorai
Why would anyone want to be insured with All State? Never heard anything nice being said about them.

I've had Allstate for several years now
Had Washington Mutual till they tried raising my policy by $500 a year.
Now I dont mind and can understand rates going up a niminal fee. But $500??
I dont think so

Looked around Allstate gave mea policy that was cheaper then WM was to begin with and my rates have actually gone down.

Never had a problem with them


Some years ago my mother made the mistake of switching to Geico.
Yes they saved her money just like the ad says. On the first year.
Then they tried rasing her rate by several hundred dollars a year the next.

And this to a woman who hasnt ever had an accident and hasnt had a ticket in 20 years

[68ROX]

Sik...

DO NOT PAY THE FINE.

On your COURT DATE:

Have your new poilicy in hand, complete with dates of insured.  Ask your agent to write a letter with his signature confirmed by a Notary Public (or better yet, have him go with you to your court date...I WOULD) confirming the dates of your being insured.

YOUR CASE:

You WERE insured...you had just changed coverage from one company to another, INCLUDING overlapping coverage...but had not received your coverage card at the time of your traffic stop.

Your case will be dismissed.


I'm Arkansas state certified in Life & Health, but not P&C (Property & Casualty) but I know enough to advise you in the above.

I've seen it dismissed in court enough to know.


You just ran into a bad cop.


68ROX
Your Friendly Arkansas AFLAC Agent

[68ROX]

Originally posted by lazs2
I know a <> guy that has never had insurance and has been cited at least 5 times and never even bothers to go to court.   He just sells the car and gets another one.

lazs

The SAD part about folks from other countries is that their attitude toward insurance is this:  they don't need it....

Car insurance:  MANDATORY
House insurance:  MANDATORY
Health Insurance:  Should be mandatory, but 26 Million Americans do not see the need.

Foreign folks have a BAD strategy, and I have seen it in court too many times:

1) Get into an accident with no insurance
2) Go before a judge in court and pretend to not speak English
3) Give a bogus name to the judge
4) When the judge asks for your BIRTHDAY...say you don't know what your birthday is so they can't track down your bogus fake name.
5) Sit in jail until one of your relatives can bail you out
6) Flee back to your home country...leaving the victim and his insurance company holding the bag for what you did.


It happens EVERY day in most every courthouse in America.

This ACTUALLY is a problem rooted in our failure to protect our borders, but sadly, there are plenty of UN-insured home grown folks driving around to make it a problem.  In some states, it's not even illegal.

Im not just saying this because I am in the industry...

NOT having insurance is a ticking ecenomic time bomb.  If you are in an accident and do not have it, you are responsible for 100% of the damages.

If you were in an accident and caused $20,000 damage to the car and $100,000 in medical damages to the driver, and you are UNINSURED...could you afford to scratch a check to them for the full $120,000 in damages?  That would bankrupt most Americans.


68ROX

[Maverick]

68rox,

Sorry but he didn't run into a "bad cop". He was driving without proof of insurance with him at the time. The statute requires that proof of insurance be in the vehicle at the time it is being operated and must be shown if stopped or you are involved in a collision.

Sikboy clearly stated he did not have proof with him at the time he was stopped. No proof, you get a ticket. Chances are that as long as he can prove in court that he did in fact have valid insurance at the time he was stopped by producing an insurance document that meets the state guidelines the ticket will either be dismissed or dramatically reduced.

It's the law in AZ. that if you can show you were covered, but just didn't have the card at the time the ticket is dropped. No big deal.

Instead of blaming the cop for the ticket it would be the adult thing to recognize that not having the documentation like registration, drivers license and insurance proof are all violations that can get the driver a ticket.

[AWMac]

Let me see If I have this right....

In Texas you are now considered a "Legal" driving "Illegally"  or are you just anouther "Illegal" driving "Legally"?

I forget how that goes.



Mac