Comments on: License, insurance card, thumbprint

By: _Jon

_Jon — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 22:12:16 +0000

Here in Michigan they changed the fine for driving with an expired Proof of Insurance from $100 to $300. They forecast that it would increase revenue and they were right. But it also caused such an outrage that they had to repeal it. But the governor said she would veto the repeal if the legislature didn’t find another way to provide the expected income from projected violations. It wasn’t about enforcing the law – it was about generating income.

What’s *really* annoying is the need to have PoI in the vehicle at all. A few years ago, the Secretary of State (DMV) added a feature to the vehicle registration that provided a six digit number indicating you had continuing insurance on your car and didn’t need to provide PoI to the SoS when paying your yearly registration fee. So if the SoS doesn’t need the PoI to re-register the vehicle, why do the police need it if you are stopped?
Obviously, they don’t. It’s all about the Benjamins….

By: Standard Mischief

Standard Mischief — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 17:22:38 +0000

Once they run your fingerprints, they have access to all that information and more, so what�s the point of carrying an easily-forged piece of paper around?

1. So they can give you a ticket
(honestly, they have had computers and radios for decades, why must I carry proof of insurance?)

2. The fingerprint-o-matic and the associated backend hardware and stuff was made by the lowest bidder.

3. The psychological effect of carrying around a permission slip from the government for the right to exist is a powerful tool.

By: Xrlq

Xrlq — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:46:39 +0000

If they are going to do that, maybe they should dispense with the requirement to carry a driver license while driving, CCW while carrying, etc. Once they run your fingerprints, they have access to all that information and more, so what’s the point of carrying an easily-forged piece of paper around?