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iPhone Used to Avoid Traffic Ticket
We're used to the iPhone saving people from things like boredom, and darkness, but according to one TUAW reader, the iPhone saved him from a traffic ticket.
A man identifying himself only as Paul informed TUAW via e-mail that, as he was recently driving along a snow-covered road somewhere in the Midwest, he was rear-ended by another driver, damaging both vehicles. When an officer arrived at the scene to investigate, Paul realized that he didn't have an up-to-date insurance card. In that unidentified state, not being able to prove current coverage turned out to warrant a $200 fine. That's when Paul got crafty and used his iPhone to log onto the Geico Web site and request a PDF copy of his current insurance card. It was soon e-mailed to him.
Surprisingly, the officer accepted the digital copy on Paul's phone as sufficient evidence of his coverage, and let him slide on the fine. See, all the money spent on these fancy gadgets isn't a complete waste; Paul saved himself the price of the iPhone with two minutes on the Geico site. [From: TUAW]
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Comments
8
Subscribe to commentsThomasFeb 2nd 2009 8:15PM
This is dumb; all you have to do is fax a copy of your insurance and they waive the ticket. The iPhone didn't do anything special here.
Salsa SharkFeb 3rd 2009 5:07PM
If he got this ticket in Illinois, he would be required to go to court. Granted, if he had his proof of insurance with him, the case would be immediately dismissed. But there's no "fax and drop" option--you have to go through the hassle of taking at least a half-day off work to deal with the mess.
I've done something similar before. My plates expired and I renewed them online, but was still waiting on the sticker when I was pulled over. I pulled out my BlackBerry and showed my confirmation email to the officer and he accepted it.
Steve.GFeb 2nd 2009 11:05PM
I did this with my lil' ol Voyager (gmail mobile converted the pdf to plain text) one time to get onto a military installation. This story not a tribute to the iPhone so much as it is to mobile internet.
Funke, Tobias Dr.Feb 2nd 2009 11:27PM
The fact that there isn't a centralized database of vehicle insurance available to law enforcement is the real problem here. If you're licensed to sell auto insurance in a state, you should have to pay a technology fee to maintain a state run database. Then, with automatic license plate scanners (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/23/20081123autotheft1123.html) you would pretty much dare anyone to drive an unlicensed/uninsured/stolen vehicle. Just think of how much cheaper insurance would be for all of us honest folk.
johnFeb 3rd 2009 3:48AM
Great idea but the insurance companies would just pass on this added expense to us. I like keeping my policy low and not having to pay for IDIOTS who don't leave a copy of their coverage in the glove box or their wallet/purse.
Funke, Tobias Dr.Feb 3rd 2009 8:04PM
Maybe initially, but through not having to pay out claims involving uninsured drivers, the net costs would come down for everyone.
mikeApr 4th 2009 10:37PM
The fact that a for profit Industry can make it illegal for someone to not buy their product is what troubles me.
Funke, Tobias Dr.Apr 10th 2009 2:00AM
Well, I have to agree it's undesirable, but that's how the insurance business works. I always hate when people say it, but the privilege of driving is not a right. The agency or governmental body that confers that privilege is responsible for mandating the use of insurance. It's just like countless other activities where a law states that one must be insured before partaking. Insurance companies don't write the laws...yet (although I'm sure they have more than their fair say).