Could the End of the Car Insurance Sticker Lead to More Fraud?

Starting April 1, 2024, it will no longer be mandatory to display the insurance sticker on your car’s windshield. The well-known green sticker will now be digital, and verification will be based on the vehicle’s license plate number.
 

This measure was announced at the most recent Interministerial Committee on Road Safety (CISR) meeting on July 17, 2023. The goal is to simplify administrative procedures for car and motorcycle drivers. During a traffic stop, law enforcement officers will be able to verify the insurance policy directly by entering the vehicle’s license plate number.
 

Of course, insurance is still required to drive. Despite this rather well-thought-out measure, road users face a problem: the use of stolen license plates.
 

In fact, over the past few years, this offense has become increasingly common, and many drivers are receiving tickets that were not intended for them. According to *Le Figaro*, nearly 20,000 cases of duplicate tickets were recorded in 2022, representing a 28% increase from the previous year.
 

The rise in cases of license plate theft is fueled by how easily any driver can obtain a license plate: online retailers offering made-to-order license plates are popping up all over the Internet, without any oversight or regulatory restrictions.
 

In most cases, all the customer has to do is provide the license plate number and the desired options (materials and mounting method), and within a few days, they’ll receive a brand-new set of license plates at their home for less than thirty euros. At no point will they be required to verify that the requested number matches the one listed on their vehicle’s registration certificate. As of now, anyone can legally purchase license plates whose number identifies a vehicle other than their own.
 

Consequently, with the shift to digital insurance stickers, the association "40 Million Motorists" fears a rise in cases of license plate theft and, by extension, insurance fraud. The association is currently working to put an end to this practice, in particular by implementing stricter controls on the manufacture and purchase of license plates.