Illinois Is Now Checking Your Car Insurance Electronically

The State of Illinois estimates that there are between 15 and 18 percent of Illinois drivers out there driving without car insurance. Since we have an estimated 8.5 million drivers in our state, that means there are around 1.5 million people driving uninsured.

For many years, we Illinois drivers have known that you have to have proof of insurance with you in the car if you planned on leaving your driveway. You didn't want to be that motorist who got pulled over and had nothing to back up your claim of carrying car insurance. I've been known to be a bit militant with my family members in making sure that they always have the needed paperwork within easy reach in their cars.

Nonetheless, as noted above, you've got over a million Illinoisans who've decided, for whatever reason, to try to game the system and skip getting their vehicles insured. In the past, the people who do this haven't been easily detectable unless they were in an accident of some sort.

Well, that's over now, as the State of Illinois warned would happen.

Now, you'll be the subject of two random electronic checks per year to make sure that you're covered. Your insurance company is required to keep the state updated on your vehicle insurance status, and report those numbers to the state on a daily basis. The state will check those lists, and get in touch with you if you're lacking coverage.

Patch.com explains it this way:

The vast majority of drivers with insurance won't notice. Their auto insurance will be verified electronically and no one will bother them. However, if the random check shows that a driver is not insured, the driver will get a letter from the Secretary of State's Office, giving them a certain amount of time to prove that they have an active auto insurance policy in place, or to buy one. If they do not comply, they will face having their license plates suspended and they will be hit with a $100 fee to have their plates reinstated.