united-states privacy police traffic
How to show an officer your insurance card?
<p>When a police officer pulls you over, they always ask for the standard trifecta of documents; license registration, and proof of insurance.</p>
<p>In ye olden days of yore, insurance companies used to mail you insurance cards you’d keep in your glove box, but they don’t do that anymore. Nowadays, everything is in an app on your phone.</p>
<p>My personal policy for any interaction with a police officer (even ones I initiate) is to keep my phone passcode locked (not merely fingerprint/face locked) at all times when an officer is present. However, my insurance app requires me to unlock my phone to show my “virtual” insurance card to the officer, which is not a thing that’s going to happen.</p>
<p>I have not been pulled over in many years, but if I ever am, how can I show this information without compromising my own device security?</p>

<p>If they can compel you to show your insurance paper and you don’t want to unlock your phone to do that, then you need to bring it in paper form or suffer whatever consequences there are for not showing them.</p>
<p>“Unlocking your phone” doesn’t mean you have to hand it over. Practice how to lock your phone quickly (iPhone: Press a specific button for four second), or just one press if you set up the phone for that. Unlock the phone away from the officer, locate the insurance paper, show it without leaving the phone out of your hand.</p>
