Carrying vehicle insurance papers while driving may go very soon.

Very soon, we need not carry our insurance paper in our vehicle while driving. Once the dematerializing of insurance is carried out, IRDA plans to provide vehicle insurance information via SMS and web-based applications of the Insurance Information Bureau. So, when a traffic policeman pulls you over for papers, you need to send a text message from your mobile phone which will retrieve the details instantly.

The beta version of the service has already been launched while the web-based application can be accessed anytime on the portal of the Insurance Information Bureau. The database of all insured vehicles across the country is now uploaded and regularly updated. There are some amendments in the law required to get this initiative going.

This digital service would be helpful in emergencies like an accident, victims can get to know the insurance company details if they know the number of the vehicle. Even before pulling over a vehicle, Road Transport Authorities and police can easily identify uninsured vehicles by its registration number. If implemented, the system will have a database of insurance claims, including cases of bad or negligent driving etc which would reflect in the future premium charged.

Though this sounds interesting and futuristic, in India, such initiative should be taken with a pinch of salt as there is always a possibility of failure of services due to infrastructural/system/legal issues and lack of know how to handle the system at the grass root level.  Imagine being pulled over by the police and your insurance SMS is never received by your mobile. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to carry the insurance paper in soft form in your mobile storage just in case.