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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana drivers who have to show proof of insurance to police after an accident or traffic violation can do so electronically starting July 1 under a new law that signals an increasing use of technology in insurance laws.
Indiana will become one of 24 states that allow electronic proof of coverage. Motorists will be able to show a digital image of their insurance card by accessing it through an app provided by their insurer.
Vigo County Chief Deputy Clark Cottom told the Tribune-Star that the change will benefit drivers and police officers. He noted that much of officers' work is already done with the help of technology and said that adding in proof of insurance is "obviously a wave of the future."
Cottom said many motorists are surprised to learn that their insurance cards have expired. The new law could help them track those dates better, he said.
It might even help drivers avoid a ticket by allowing them to access a copy of their proof of insurance by phone if they don't have a paper copy in the car.
"I think it is giving you more options. You don't have to have that piece of paper in your glove box," said Nicole Mahrt Ganley, a spokeswoman for the Property Casualty Insurance Association of America.
Cottom said officers attend training twice a year to discuss statute changes. The next training session is scheduled later this month.
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