Wyoming Enacts System for Automobile Insurance Verification

The state of Wyoming has embraced what may become a growing trend in the coming years by enacting a real-time automobile insurance verification system.

A report from the state's KTAK radio describes how law enforcement officers in the state now automatically receive information on a driver's insurance status whenever they make a traffic stop. The system will apparently work for any private vehicle registered in the state.

The radio station notes that despite a requirement to carry auto insurance and possible fines and jail time for breaking the law, about 13 percent of the state's vehicles are uninsured.

"The problem that we’re seeing is people get insurance and then cancel it the next day or 30 days later. Now law enforcement is going to have another tool to validate whether the insurance card a driver shows them is still valid. They won't use that as the ultimate factor in determining whether to issue a citation, but that will be one of the things they’ll be able to use," Marianne Zivkovich of the Wyoming Department of Transportation was quoted as saying in the report.

With most states requiring drivers to have automobile insurance, skipping on coverage to try to save money is often more trouble than it's worth.