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Over the past few years, auto insurance has been a hot topic among state lawmakers for a number of reasons, and one of the biggest has been the fact that it's not always easy for drivers to show proof of their coverage when they get pulled over. At this point, the vast majority of states now allow for greater flexibility in this area, and one more might join that group in the near future. Insurance agents who can explain to their clients how these changes might affect them going forward may also be the ones with the highest customer satisfaction ratings.

New Jersey legislators are now considering a bill that would allow consumers to show proof of auto insurance using their smartphones, rather than requiring them to carry it on a piece of paper, according to a report from Newsworks. If the bill passes, that would make the Garden State the 38th state in the country to allow drivers such flexibility, as they can currently be ticketed by police officers for not having a physical insurance ID card on hand when they're pulled over. The law would also prohibit police from viewing anything on the phone other than proof of insurance.

Why is this a benefit?
In addition to the fact that this will give drivers a better chance to provide proof of their coverage, experts say that this could also help to stamp out auto insurance fraud, the report said. That's because it's much easier to fabricate false documentation on a piece of paper than it is on a mobile device.

""Primarily because if for some reason you've canceled your policy shortly after or it has been non-renewed for some reason, you would not be able to access that insurance verification card through the application,"" Micaela Isler, vice president of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told the site. ""It's really kind of real-time instantaneous updated information.""

The fact of the matter is that these days, many consumers are concerned about many aspects of their various types of insurance coverage, and the more agents can do to assuage these concerns in any way, the better off they're likely to be in terms keeping customers satisfied with their coverage overall. And if they are able to successfully mix in the occasional discount, their relationships with clients might be even better going forward.

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