Customers should hang on to ID cards
The long-awaited electronic insurance verification program is finally operational
statewide, according to an Oct. 2 press release issued by TexasSure. In the release,
the Texas Department of Public Safety asked law enforcement agencies to verify
insurance coverage through existing methods (the ID card) before impounding a
vehicle for no insurance. “It is DPS policy to not impound vehicles solely
for no insurance, but other police departments my have their own policies.” TDI
reminded insurers that the accuracy and efficacy of the system as a whole is
dependent on correct data and encouraged all insurers to verify accurate information
in policyholder records upon renewal or purchase and when adding vehicles to
a policy. What can agents do to help? Keep issuing ID cards promptly, be prepared
to answer policyholder questions, and look for opportunities to educate policyholders
and law enforcement officials in your community about some of the holes in the
new system.
Hanging on to auto insurance ID cards despite the move to an electronic system
for verifying car insurance coverage will still be a legal requirement. The new
system employs software that looks at several pieces of data to determine a match.
Agents can take some of the burden off consumers by working with insurance companies
to verify three important pieces of policy information: name of the insured,
vehicle description and vehicle identification number (VIN). Policyholders and
law enforcement officials should also be made aware that the electronic information
in the TexasSure system may never be completely accurate. For example, vehicles
insured on commercial auto policies won’t turn up in the database at all.
In addition, newly acquired autos are covered automatically for liability under
most personal auto policies for at least 14 days, but may not show up in the
database during that period. Finally, inaccurate vehicle information, such as
VINs may cause a law enforcement officer to question whether the auto is properly
insured, even though such inaccuracies do not affect particular insurance coverage.
While the electronic verification system was created to help solve the problem
of fraudulent ID cards, it is important for insured consumers to maintain a valid
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