Car Insurance: The End Of The Green Card
Drivers, we are used to affixing the new green card on the windshield each time we renew our car insurance contract. Soon to be dematerialized!
Green Insurance Card:
Established in 1949, the insurance certificate, or green card allows any driver to justify that his vehicle is covered by a car insurance contract, both by the certificate and by the green sticker on the windshield.
The driver, whether car or motorcycle, must sign the part to be kept on him, and affix the valid green card on the windshield.
Without a valid green card on the windshield, you risk verbalisation and a second class fine, even during a simple control of your parked vehicle.
This document allows law enforcement to verify that the vehicle is insured and that you are covered, at a minimum, for third party liability in the event of an accident.
Why dematerialize the green card?
In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the number of drivers driving without insurance, often due to lack of a license, after it has been invalidated, due to lack of points.
At the same time, the production of falsified insurance documents and green cards has become commonplace.
At the request of insurers, and under study in the ministries concerned, the dematerialization will allow to fight against the lack of insurance and falsification.
A decree is being planned to abolish and dematerialize the certificate and the green insurance card.
Indeed, the forces of law and order have access to the File of insured vehicles (F.V.A), the paper documents become obsolete.
What is the Insured Vehicle File (IVF)?
The Insured Vehicle File, in effect since 2019 records the vehicles, auto and motorcycle, insured. This file is maintained by insurers who enter, for each car/motorcycle insurance contract, the license plate number, the name of the insurance company, as well as the start and end date of the vehicle's insurance contract. This makes it quick and easy for law enforcement to verify, just with the license plate number, whether a vehicle is insured or not.
Administrative simplification and reduction of carbon impact
The dematerialization of car insurance documents would be both a simplification for drivers who would no longer have to carry the insurance certificate with them, would no longer be fined €35 for forgetting to change the green card upon receipt of the last one.
On the other hand, the abolition of the green card would reduce the environmental impact, indeed, dematerializing would avoid the printing and sending of about 50 million insurance certificates and green card per year.
