I was already running a tiny bit late to work, when all traffic stopped on 642. Why oh why? Oh, looky, Ander, we are at an insurance checkpoint.
I dig through my glove compartment. Two different envelopes are labeled 06/26/08-12/26/08. Hmmm...isn't today 06/23/08? And where in the world is the 06/23/08 proof of insurance? Okay, don't panic. Think...think...maybe Alan mislabeled one of the two envelopes. Great, he did! I have proof of insurance that is valid today, and still valid until Thursday. I also have proof from 06/26/08 on, but that doesn't matter anyway.
Hello, Officer. Here's my proof of insurance. Yes, Ander, that is a cop. Yes, Ander, red light stop cop. {blush} Yes, Officer, I understand it expires on Thursday. I have proof of renewal until December, though. Pull aside? And show you proof until December? {fumes}
Luckily, I had the proof still in my lap and handed it to him, so I didn't have to pull aside. But my problem with that? I am not required by law to show any documentation of insurance coverage for next Friday. The law requires that I have current coverage, which the first document showed. Now, I wasn't going to argue. Had he asked to inspect my vehicle in anyway, I would have politely declined and told him that I would not comply without a warrant. (Let him try to get a local judge to give a warrant to inspect my car. ;)) But still, why the heck was the officer asking for something NOT required by law? And how much would that have scared someone who doesn't know the law? And, most important, what if Alan hadn't given me the proof for Friday? As long as I have it in my car by Friday, I haven't broken any law. So why does the cop think he has any right to ask for it? (He doesn't, by the way, but my kid was cahttering enough about cops to make me hurry through and move on.)
Etcetera.
Maybe you just looked suspicious? You know...that pregnant lady with a child seat in the back with an actual kid in it. I mean, you may have been a terrorist that they didn't know about :)
ReplyDeleteI would have told them I didn't have it just to see what they said?
ReplyDeletecan you call the department and tell them what you had been through? What is an insurance checkpoint? What does those different dates mean?
ReplyDeleteMisty, where we live the state police sometimes set up random insurance checkpoints. Everyone passing has to show proof of automobile insurance or they will be ticketed and fined. In Louisiana, something like one in eight motorists are driving uninsured. We pay for our insurance semi-annually, so the dates Kristy referred to are the six month period for which the insurance is paid. I write down the dates on the envelope so that we know which are current.
ReplyDeleteoh! Ok that makes sense
ReplyDeletewe do yearly here. But pay monthly. I get it now!
Try getting in a wreck on the date your insurance is the changeover date (7 years ago)...my car insurance used to run 6/23 to 12/23 and 12/23 to 6/23...I had a wreck on 6/23. Despite offering both insurance documents to the officer writing up the report, he only listed the 6/23 to 12/23 which meant additional delays in confirming that I had insurance prior to 6/23, the date of the accident. No pay, no play and all but sometimes, it is ridiculous. At least you had it with you...maybe every however many cars, they are more scrutinizing? Who knows...glad Alan had it in the car. I forgot to put my new insurance card in until yesterday, I would have been screwed. But now it is yearly. - Stephani
ReplyDeleteWell Kristy, you scared me enough to go in my glove box and confirm that I had the right insurance card in there, and then to get rid of the 5 previous ones I would have frantically been thumbing through at a checkpoint.
ReplyDeleteYou should have asked him for proof that he would be authorized on Friday to check whether or not you had ins on Friday!
ReplyDeleteAND you should have gotten his badge # and name, and written a nice letter to his supervisors.