New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 15 - Department of Motor Vehicles › Chapter I - REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER › Subchapter C - INSURANCE › Part 32 - Insurance Identification Cards › Section 32.12 - Insurance information accompanying id cards

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a) At the time that ID cards are issued to a
				  policyholder by or on behalf of an insurance company in conjunction with the
				  original issuance of a policy an insurer shall provide the policyholder with
				  the insurance information set forth in section 32.12(b)  of this Part. An
				  insurance company or producer may provide this information to a policyholder at
				  any other time including in conjunction with policy renewals or vehicle
				  endorsements as may be deemed appropriate.
(b) Important insurance information for
				  policyholders.
(1) Financial security
				  (insurance) shall be maintained without interruption during the entire
				  registration period regardless of whether the vehicle is driven.
(2) License plates must be surrendered before
				  insurance is cancelled or suspended without exception. This is compliance with
				  New York State law. Surrendering license plates before cancellation of
				  insurance will prevent communications from DMV based on cancellation that
				  insurers are required by law report to DMV.
(3) Policyholders moving from New York State
				  must coordinate the surrender of New York State license plates and cancellation
				  of a New York State insurance policy with obtaining a new registration and
				  insurance policy in another state. Again, this will prevent DMV communications
				  based on cancellation reported by insurers.
(4) Insurers must provide policyholders with
				  at least two identical ID cards for each vehicle insured. ID cards represent
				  that insurance is provided for the named insured and the described vehicle, as
				  applicable, as of the effective date shown thereon.
(5) Encrypted 2D bar codes on ID cards
				  contain tamper proof security features that prevent ID card fraud. The bar code
				  contains information about the policy, effective dates of coverage and issuance
				  date, registrant name and address, vehicle description (as applicable) and the
				  issuer of the ID card.
(6) Some
				  insurers and agents are using software that allows ID cards to be either
				  e-mailed or faxed. Successful faxing requires equipment in good working order
				  both sending and receiving. Faxed ID cards are only acceptable if the ID card
				  contains a large faxable bar code that scans (is readable).
(7) Policyholders should check to be sure
				  that the name and the vehicle identification number (VIN) on all ID cards are
				  identical to the name and VIN on all the registrations. Policyholders should
				  immediately notify their agent and/or insurer of any discrepancies. Agents
				  and/or insurer must issue corrected ID card and change policy records
				  accordingly.
(8) Policyholders must
				  keep one ID card in the vehicle at all times.
(9) An ID card must, upon demand, be shown to
				  a law enforcement officer, judge, hearing officer or any person with whom the
				  insured or other driver may have had an accident. In the event of an accident,
				  the insured or driver can also demand to see the other driver's ID
				  card.
(10) The failure to produce
				  an ID card at the request of a law enforcement officer is presumptive evidence
				  of uninsured operation for which the driver may be given a ticket. An ID card
				  must be produced upon demand by any driver of a vehicle; not just the
				  registrant.
(11) If the second ID
				  card is not currently required for registration purposes it should be kept in a
				  safe place since it may be required to be submitted to DMV as proof of
				  insurance in the future.
(12) Upon
				  loss of an ID card the insured shall contact the insurance company, agent or
				  broker, not DMV.
(13) An ID card is
				  only as good as the policy that it represents. If for any reason the insurance
				  policy is terminated, then the ID cards issued in conjunction with such policy
				  are void. Any use of such invalid ID cards may be a violation of law.
(14) Failure to maintain liability insurance
				  coverage continuously throughout the registration period even if the vehicle is
				  not in use may result in the suspension of the registration and driving
				  privileges. Registrants if eligible may opt to pay a civil penalty for each day
				  that a vehicle was registered and uninsured one time in a three-year period if
				  the lapse in coverage does not exceed 90 days. A 20-day revocation may be
				  imposed on for hire vehicles such as taxis, liveries, buses, rentals and so
				  forth.
(15) Driving without
				  insurance, a valid registration or driver's license is subject to severe
				  sanctions under the law. A driver may be arrested and incarcerated and the
				  vehicle impounded. Such driver is subject to fines and surcharges in a court of
				  law. In cases of uninsured operation DMV will imposed mandatory revocation of
				  registration and driver's license as well as a substantial civil
				  penalty.
(16) Fraudulent issuance
				  or use of an ID card as proof of a non-existent policy is punishable as a
				  misdemeanor under New York State law.