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How do police know you’re driving without insurance?

One of my friends doesn’t have car insurance, and he doesn’t think he’ll get caught. How do police officers know that a driver is uninsured?

avatar
Amber Reed · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Police can figure out you’re
driving without insurance
in a few different ways.
  • Random checkpoints: law enforcement will sometimes set up mandatory checkpoints on major roadways to check for a valid license, registration, and proof of insurance.
  • If you violate a traffic law: if you do something that gives a police officer reason to pull you over, they will always ask to see your proof of insurance along with your license and registration.
  • Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems: this technology takes a picture of your license plate, and then runs it against a database of insured drivers.
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