I got a letter from San marcos saying the mentioned vehicle has no insurance on it(cause it's broke down and in my warehouse and is my aunt's car and she's in a nursing home).
I will get an estimate on repairs after I get an insurance quote.

Is this a BS place or legit?

Thanks

Yes, Big Brother really IS watching Y-O-U...  !


BIGGER_HAMMER

I guess I need to give BB a ring then.

More later.

They sent me a letter like that about one of my Corvettes which I have specialty collector car insurance on claiming they didn't have record of the insurance (even though I provided my insurance card when I got the registration renewed), but I was able to go to their web site, select the company name, enter the policy # and they haven't bothered me again since then...  it has been a few months.

Now, it is true that car sat in my garage for a number of years and wasn't insured nor was the registration updated...  But you only have to do those things on cars you drive on public streets, not ones in storage...  I only had to fill out a form attesting that the car had been in storage and not driven for those years to get the registration processed.

I didn't even have to do that. She said it would update when I got insurance.

Much ado about nothing.

SJ, who carries your vette insurance? I have NCM and did the 6K per year the first year and never changed it. I've put ~3K on it in three years. When my girls get out of high school I'll be able to make some cross country runs!

American Collectors Insurance which is part of American Bankers of Florida.  5k miles per year, not to be used as daily driver, they said driving it to work once or twice a month was O.K., driviing to Corvette club meetings, events and car shows is acceptable use as well as "pleasure driving" like weekend cruises.  I'm more like 2k miles a year so its good.

I've heard good things about NCM but ended up going with American Collectors.  I checked with Hagerty which a lot of people like but my other Vette which is my daily driver isi too old, the max they allow for your daily driver is 10 years old.  I've got an Monte Carlo SS as well which used to be my daily driver until it got too many miles on it...  but alas it is a 2002 so still too old for Hagerty.  I need to sell that Monte Carlo, I never drive it anymore.

 

It's real.  Its what we use to verify/check insurance on the road during traffic stops.

If you can check it then why do we need to have the card to keep from getting a ticket?

In for the answer on this.

My assumption is it is law to have proof on you at all times.  I would assume this stays on the books even though technology has caught up is to exchange information in the event you have an accident.  Even though with geico I use my phone for proof of insurance they are still required to send me paper copies.

IF your insurance company reports to them, and IF the computers and state database are up and running, then you don't need the card in the car anymore to avoid getting a ticket, for the insurance.  However, if you don't have the card, can't show it on an electronic device, and it's not reported in the computer, then you CAN still get a ticket for it.  

Even if I verify the insurance when they don't have a card, I suggest that they have a card in the car with them anyway, so that if they need it for any other reason (like you are involved in an accident with someone else) you can still show THEM that you have the insurance card in the car, so you can exchange information and be on your way.

EDIT:  Just to say it again, because others have already asked in the time it took me to post this.  When you are stopped for a traffic violation, you have to be able to provide insurance to the officer, that can be EITHER - the paper copy, shown on an electronic device, or through the state database.  However, not ALL insurance companies report to the state database and inquiries come back in one of 3 manners, Unconfirmed (which means if you can't show one, you're getting a ticket), Verify Manually (which means if you can't show one, you're getting a ticket) and Confirmed (which means you are GTG for the insurance violation).

.

Interesting ..  Thanks for the info.  How do you look it up?  By DL or tags?

It shows up when you run the tags.

Right anytime we run a tag, if there is insurance information attached, or NOT, it will provide information that was made available.

Theres a few reasons why you should carry your cards with you.


If you are self employed and carry COMMERCIAL insurance, these companies do not report to the SURE system and it will show " unconfirmed" and no data.  Also, https://www.texassurehelp.com/ lets you input the data on your own to the SURE system if you are a commercial policy holder.


Most all of the carriers that sell insurance in TX report to the SURE system for you though.


A business or fleet vehicle owner, will usually not report to the SURE system because its a PITA, and those vehicles should have an insurance card.


As far as anyone else, as was already stated, as a driver, you should keep a copy in your wallet regardless because you don't have to call the police to report a collision. You can do it yourself and it's perfectly legal to NOT involve the police.


You can keep copies on your phone as well and that is sufficient.  If you insurance cards show your HOME ADDRESS, i would suggest not leaving them in your car.

Good info to know... Thanks

This.  I'll add that the computers go down fairly often.  Plus, not all officers have computers in their vehicles.  Most of our traffic enforcement officers ride motorcycles and they don't have computers.



Unconfirmed gets a ticket from me even if you have a card.  Unconfirmed means you had insurance, but no longer do.  Part of the reason they created the Texas Sure system was to catch those people that made the first payment on a six month policy just to get the insurance card and then quit paying for the next five months.

Problem I see is if you have a card, but no way to verify on the computer.

I'd like to see Texas go to the driver buys insurance on themselves tied to their driver's license, not to vehicles. Get stopped and not have insurance you license is not valid, just like a commercial license and no medical card.

Young people,used to do that a lot

 

If you are moving to Texas without a car, but with a current policy on you  previous vehicle, and and are told by your insurance company that your coverage will work in Texas when you get another car, get it in writing. I wound up on "SR-22" insurance after being lied to by a local agent. A fender bender turned into a 5 year period of outrageously priced insurance.

I went on line to get a price quote from Progressiv on a fix up car for my daughter.

One of the questions is "do you currently have auto insurance?"

I truthfully answered "no" because I didn't need to at the time..

A about 10 days later, I get an official letter in the mail from TX SURE that the State of Texas is very angry at me for not having current auto insurance and I will face fines or jail if I don't get insurance very soon...

Well ....     Fnck You very much "Progressive!!"

BIGGER_HAMMER

Insurance companies will never go for that because they want to charge you out the @$$ if you have a nice car or even worse if you have a "dangerous" car...

Since it is still on the books, LE can and will issue a ticket for no physical proof of current paper insurance.  I think some just use it as an add-on charge which is easily dismissed.

Curious if LE would issue ticket if driver had phone app.

Sure wish TX would clean up the books with all these outdated laws.

Hey now!  Only a HATER would say something like that!  They'd never add-on!  



Nothing says they can't still ticket.



I think it is probably quite intentional in many cases that they don't.  But of course revenue has nothing to do with any of this!  

You have a nice car/truck, you would still buy a collision/comprehensive policy on it. But if you buy a $2000 beater just to drive to work, or out to the range or for dumps/Home Depot runs. Your basic policy would cover it. Same if you want to bump your policy up from the basic likes to say 100/300/100 or add a one million umbrella policy.

Main thing this would do is give you coverage if you just bought a car, or just got one running. Would also get those that have a driver's license but no car to carry insurance for when they drive.

Texas Transportation Code 601.053. Paper is good. Digital copy/app is good. Officer verifying via their own computer is good. Now, if you do not carry your own proof (paper or digital), AND the TXSure system is down, an officer can cite.

Personally, I still carry paper copies in the event I get stopped or have a crash. Simply hand it to an officer or trade after a wreck. Folks are already stressed at crashes. It doesn't help when you have a goon thumbing through his phone to find his proof as an email attachment while everyone else waits.

Yeah, if you have a nice car or truck you'd buy collision, comprehensive, etc...  but they also want to charge you more for liability if your car is considered "performance", etc...  I agree with most of what you are saying, I just don't think most insurance companies would ever go for it, other than I could see them offering a really basic kind of policy for licensed drivers who don't own a car.  That'd be a new profit center for them assuming it was a good risk.

The down side is I figure it is likely the only companies that would offer policies like that would be crapola bottom feeding companies like Fred Loya, The General, etc.  Companies that make most of their money by collecting one month's premium a year from deadbeats so they can get their registration and then never paying any claims.

It has to be a TEXAS policy.  At any rate, I just keep insurance according to state that matches the registration of the vehicle.  My DD Cherokee in VT -> VT Reg & VT Policy.  My DD Lexus in TX -> TX Reg & TX Policy.  Fun vehicle, a wrangler, I leave registered and insured to our farm in WI -- No inspection.

Where does the law state officer must pull records via the new system?  Unless the law has changed, an officer can still cite for not having actual current paperwork on hand.

Face it, there is no need for paper anymore, especially how worthless an old document is.

I'm glad that you use common sense and take the time but not everyone does this.