I hear you on that—my glove box is like a survival kit too, except mine’s mostly expired insurance cards and a flashlight that barely works. South Dakota cops will take digital proof, but I’ve had one ask for the paper anyway. Learned the hard way after my phone died mid-traffic stop... now I keep both, just in case.
Honestly, keeping both digital and paper copies is the way to go. I totally get what you mean about the glove box turning into a graveyard for old cards—mine’s a mess of expired stuff too. You mentioned,
That’s been my experience too. Even if the law says digital is fine, some officers just prefer the old-school way. My routine now: every time I get a new card, I toss the old one and stash the fresh one in my glove box. Takes 30 seconds and saves a ton of hassle if your phone dies or you’re in a spot with no signal. Not foolproof, but it’s worked so far.“South Dakota cops will take digital proof, but I’ve had one ask for the paper anyway.”
Honestly, I get the appeal of keeping both, but I’ve seen folks run into issues when they rely too much on paper. Those cards fade, get coffee stains, or just vanish into the glove box abyss—then you’re stuck digging through receipts from 2017. Digital’s not perfect either, but at least it’s always legible (unless your phone battery’s toast). Personally, I lean digital and keep a backup in my email just in case. Never hurts to have options, but I wouldn’t stress if you can’t keep the glove box neat... most of us can’t!
I’ve seen more than a few folks show up at the DMV with a paper card that’s basically a faded ghost of its former self—one guy even had his stuck to an old granola bar wrapper. Not ideal. But I do wonder about relying only on digital, especially if you’re out in the Black Hills and your phone’s got no signal or juice. I usually tell people to snap a pic of their card and stash it in their phone, but keep the paper one somewhere semi-reachable... just not under the seat with the petrified fries. South Dakota’s pretty chill about digital proof, but a backup never hurts.
I hear you on the digital proof thing—sounds convenient, but I’m always a little wary of putting all my eggs in one basket. Here’s how I handle it, especially with my old Chevelle that only sees daylight a few times a year:
- Paper card lives in the glovebox, inside a ziplock bag. Not glamorous, but at least it doesn’t end up looking like it survived a flood.
- Digital copy on my phone, sure, but I also keep a screenshot in my “favorites” so I can get to it without signal or WiFi. Learned that the hard way when I was out near Custer and had zero bars.
- Had a buddy get pulled over at Sturgis last year—his phone was dead, and his insurance card was basically pulp. Officer wasn’t impressed. He got off with a warning since he could pull up his info later, but it was a hassle.
I get that South Dakota’s pretty relaxed about digital proof compared to some places, but I just don’t trust tech 100%. Maybe that’s just me being old school or paranoid. Either way, nothing ruins a good drive faster than paperwork drama.
Also, not sure if this is just me, but those paper cards fade like crazy if you leave them in the sun for even a few weeks. Had one basically turn blank after one summer in the dash tray... lesson learned.
Anyway, redundancy is your friend here. Doesn’t matter if you’re rolling through Rapid City or parked at some random overlook—having both options beats digging under seats or explaining to an officer why your only proof of insurance smells like stale granola.
