Honestly, I get where you’re coming from. It’s wild how some officers still look at a digital insurance card like it’s witchcraft. I’ve had the same experience—pulled up the app, and the officer just kind of frowned at it, like he wasn’t sure if it was real or not. Isn’t the info exactly the same? I’ve even had my dealership email me registration once, and that was fine. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to do things by the book but tech just isn’t catching up with the system. Maybe it’s just a comfort thing for some folks, but it does feel behind the times.
I’ve run into the same nonsense, and honestly, it drives me up a wall. Last year, I got pulled over in my ’72 Chevelle—yeah, not exactly a car you’d expect to have a digital anything—and when I showed the cop my insurance on my phone, he acted like I was trying to pull a fast one. He kept asking if I had “the real thing.” What does that even mean anymore? The info’s all there, and half the time those paper cards are faded or crumpled anyway.
It’s like some folks just can’t let go of the old way of doing things. I get wanting to double-check stuff, but if the law says digital is fine, then that should be the end of it. Feels like we’re stuck in this weird limbo where tech is moving forward but the people enforcing the rules are still living in 1995. Maybe it’s just habit or maybe they don’t trust what they don’t understand... but it shouldn’t be our headache every time we get stopped.
Man, I know exactly what you mean. Had a cop in Connecticut do the same routine—looked at my phone like it was some alien tech. The law’s the law, but it’s like they pick and choose what they want to accept. Paper or digital, it shouldn’t matter if it’s legit. Just feels like unnecessary hassle, honestly.
I get where you're coming from, but I kinda get why some cops are still stuck on the paper thing. Last summer during a cross-state trip, my phone died right as I got pulled over—classic timing. Had my old paper card in the glove box, and that saved me a ton of grief. Digital's great till tech fails or they just don't trust it yet... guess we're in that weird in-between phase. Still a pain, though.
Honestly, I totally get the frustration with having to keep both paper and digital proof around. It feels like we’re paying for convenience but still stuck in the old system. I’ve seen folks get ticketed just because their phone glitched or the officer didn’t want to deal with a screen. From a cost perspective, it’s wild—if you lose that paper card or it’s expired, you could end up with a fine or even a court date, which is just more money down the drain.
I always tell people to stash a backup paper card somewhere in the car, even if you’re all-in on digital. It’s not ideal, but until every state (and every cop) is on the same page, it’s the safest bet. Out of curiosity, has anyone actually had an officer refuse to accept the digital version, even when it was working? Or is it mostly just about tech failing at the worst possible time?
