Can Police Tell If You Have Insurance By Running Plates In Michigan?
Yes, Michigan police officers can tell if a vehicle has valid No-Fault auto insurance by running its license plate. Through the state’s Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) database, officers use in-car computers to instantly verify active coverage. Insurance companies electronically report policies to the Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) twice a month, making roadside verification possible. However, because database updates can lag, drivers are still legally required to carry physical or digital proof.
This capability is an important tool for Michigan law enforcement because, since police can tell if you have insurance by running plates, it allows officers to quickly identify uninsured drivers and help get them off the road.
Having a police officer tell if you have insurance by running your plates in Michigan serves as motivation for some drivers to get insured – and stay insured. For years, people have tried to game the system of insuring their cars. These people would purchase insurance just long enough to register their vehicles – or renew a motor vehicle registration – and then allow the coverage to lapse if it was an ultra-short term policy. Or they would cancel their mandatory auto insurance coverage and collect a premium refund as soon as they received their license plates.
This still goes on, but the ability to game the system was dealt a serious blow when law enforcement began using the LEIN system directly from their patrol cars. Today, this technology ensures Michigan police can tell if you have insurance by running plates right from the roadside, allowing an officer to instantly verify a driver’s mandatory coverage status.
Why is it important that police can tell if you have insurance by running your plates in Michigan?
In Michigan, it is important that police can tell if you have insurance by running your plates because it motivates drivers to purchase and maintain the auto insurance that is required under state law and, thus, avoid the severe criminal and financial penalties that Michigan imposes for driving without insurance.
Those penalties could include: (1) being found guilty of a misdemeanor; (2) a fine between $200 and $500; (3) a year in jail; (4) suspension of your driver’s license; (5) inability to renew your vehicle registration; (6) being disqualified from suing for pain and suffering compensation and/or No-Fault benefits if you are injured in a crash; and (7) being held financially liable for the medical bills and lost wages of anyone else injured in a crash that you are involved in – even if you were 100% not at-fault for the auto accident. (MCL 500.3102(2))
How can police tell if you have insurance by running plates in Michigan?
Michigan law enforcement officers utilize a combination of database networks and automated roadside technology so police can tell if you have insurance by running plates to instantly verify vehicle compliance:
- In-Car LEIN Terminal Checks: Officers manually enter a vehicle’s license plate number directly into their patrol car’s computer terminal to pull real-time registration data from the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) database.
- Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs): Many police cruisers use mounted cameras that automatically scan surrounding license plates in real-time, instantly cross-referencing plate numbers against state databases to flag uninsured vehicles.
- Electronic State Verification Database: Under Michigan law MCL 500.3101a(1), auto insurance providers must electronically report policy details—including the vehicle identification number (VIN) and policy number—to the Secretary of State (SOS) at least every 14 days.
Can the police stop you for no insurance based on a computer check of your plates in Michigan?
In Michigan, though police can tell if you have insurance by running your plates, the Michigan Vehicle Code does not address this issue. The Michigan State Police has stated the information will not be used as a “primary” basis for a vehicle stop, but each police department may have its own policy. The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a stop for no insurance based on a LEIN check.
In its published opinion in People v. Mazzie (#343380, October 23, 2018), the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the police could make a traffic stop based on LEIN information showing that a vehicle in question was not insured as required by Michigan law. The judges stated:
The LEIN information gave the police “at least a reasonable suspicion that defendant was operating his vehicle without insurance and, therefore, the stop and detention to check for valid insurance was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment.”
What are the limitations of Michigan’s electronic insurance verification?
While Michigan police can tell if you have insurance by running plates electronically, database delays and strict statutory requirements create critical limitations for drivers:
- 14-Day Database Delays: Auto insurers are only legally required to transmit policy updates to the Secretary of State every 14 days under MCL 500.3101a(1). A newly purchased policy or a recent premium payment will not show up in the LEIN system immediately.
- Mandatory Electronic or Physical Proof: Because electronic records lag, Michigan law MCL 257.328 requires drivers to produce independent proof of insurance during a traffic stop. Drivers must present a valid physical certificate or display a digital insurance card on an electronic device when requested by an officer.
- LEIN System Discrepancies: If the LEIN system erroneously displays a vehicle as uninsured due to administrative delay, a police officer has valid reasonable suspicion to conduct a traffic stop and detain the driver to manually verify valid coverage under Michigan case law (People v. Mazzie).
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Written By
Steve M. Gursten,
Attorney,
License#: P53632
Steven Gursten, attorney at Michigan Auto Law and one of the most successful auto accident attorneys in Michigan. Michigan Auto Law represents people seriously injured in car, truck, motorcycle, and bus accidents, including catastrophic injury, traumatic brain injury, and No-Fault insurance cases. Steven has recovered the largest reported auto and truck accident settlement of any Michigan lawyer, and has been named Michigan Lawyer of the Year and a Top 50 Michigan Super Lawyer.
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