AB 65

Under current law, with limited exceptions, a person may not operate a motor

vehicle on a highway unless the owner or operator of the vehicle has in effect a motor

vehicle liability policy with respect to the vehicle that provides coverage in at least

certain minimum amounts. While operating the vehicle, the person must have in his

or her immediate possession proof of insurance complying with this requirement and

the person must display this proof on demand by any traffic officer. However, a

person may not be convicted of failing to have proof of insurance in his or her

possession if the person later produces proof of insurance, in effect at the time a

citation was issued, at the time of the person's appearance in court in response to the

citation or in the office of the traffic officer who issued the citation.

Also under current law, a person may not do any of the following for purposes

of creating the appearance of satisfying insurance requirements: 1) forge, falsify,

counterfeit, or fraudulently alter any proof of insurance or other insurance

document; 2) possess any forged, falsified, fictitious, counterfeit, or fraudulently

altered proof of insurance or other insurance document; or 3) represent that any

proof of insurance or other insurance document is valid and in effect, knowing or

having reason to believe that the proof of insurance or other insurance document is

not valid or not in effect.

This bill specifies that a person may provide proof of insurance in either printed

or electronic format, including by display of images on a cellular telephone or other

electronic device. If electronic proof is displayed on any device, the person to whom

the proof is displayed may not view on the device any content except the proof. The

bill also specifies that the prohibitions relating to forged, falsified, counterfeit,

fraudulently altered, or invalid proofs of insurance or other insurance documents

also apply with respect to proofs of insurance in electronic format and electronic

images.