Washington State law requires anyone driving a motor vehicle in our state to have an insurance Liability policy, a certificate of deposit, or a liability bond to the required limits. If you have 26 or more vehicles, you may self-insure.

Under the law, you are required to have a Liability policy with limits of at least 25/50/10. This means:

• $25,000 for injury to another person
• $50,000 for injuries to all other persons
• $10,000 for damage to another’s property

If you are stopped by a law enforcement officer, you must present an insurance identification card showing that either the vehicle or you are insured. Your insurance company must provide you with an identification card when they issue or renew your motor vehicle Liability policy. At your request, the company will provide a card or temporary proof of insurance for each vehicle covered under your policy.

The insurance identification card must include the name of the insurance company, the policy number, and the policy’s effective and expiration dates. It must also include a description of the insured vehicle(s) and/or the name of the insured driver.

If you do not carry proof of insurance and you are stopped by law enforcement, the state considers it a traffic infraction. You will receive a $450 fine and it may go on your driving record. The courts could add other fees to your fines, such as a public safety and education assessment, which is 70 percent of all fines.

Having fake proof of insurance may fall under Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.30.040 or 46.29.620. RCW 46.30.040 states any person who knowingly provides false evidence of financial responsibility to a law enforcement officer or to a court, including an expired or canceled insurance policy, bond, or certificate of deposit is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Revised Code of Washington 46.29.620 meanwhile states that any person who shall forge, or, without authority, sign any evidence of proof of financial responsibility for the future, or who files or offers for filing any such evidence of proof knowing or having reason to believe that it is forged or signed without authority, shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor. Since this is a criminal traffic offense a mandatory court appearance is required.

So it would depend under which portion of the law the forged proof of insurance falls as to what the penalty would be. There are two categories of misdemeanors in this Washington state. A plain old misdemeanor, the penalty for RCW 46.30.040, is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine while the more serious gross misdemeanor, the penalty for 46.29.620, is punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

As you can see the penalties can be quite harsh for trying to pass fake or forged proof of insurance (or an insurance card) by as the real thing. To get at least the minimum WA car insurance coverages on your vehicles click here and get started with discount auto insurance rate quotes.