Woman tells a Massachusetts officer she had just started a new insurance policy. He still had her car towed because the registry had not updated

Motor1 reported that a Massachusetts content creator named Leah posted a TikTok video of a traffic stop. She wrote in the caption that she was pulled over on Wednesday after an officer said she was driving without insurance. Leah stated she had started a new policy two days earlier and told the officer she had coverage.

The video, which has more than 592,000 views, shows Leah speaking with officers from inside her car. Officer O’Connor holds a paper with a policy number written on it. He said in the video, “Yes, but the registry is saying since January 17th, 2025, you don’t have insurance.” Leah replied, “On today, you’re, you cannot tow my car today to say I don’t have insurance when I have insurance. You’re holding my policy number, right?”

Officer O’Connor said, “But the registry is saying you don’t. I can’t control that right now.” Leah then asked him to check that the policy was real so he could say the registry had made a mistake. The officer answered, “But we have to go by what the registry says now. I can’t change what the registry says right now.” Leah said, “You can’t tow my car when I have a policy. I have a policy.” He responded, “I can because the registry is saying that your registration is revoked, so I can tow your car for that.”

New insurance policies can take time to show up in state registry records

A gap can exist between the day a new policy starts and the day that information appears in state records. According to the New York State DMV, its records can take 48 hours to update after a driver submits proof of coverage.

Leah wrote in her TikTok caption that she gave the officer her policy number and called her insurance company from the side of the road. She stated an agent confirmed she was insured and offered to update the registry by hand. The agent also said she could pay any registry fees online. Leah wrote that she was trying to do that when the tow truck arrived.

She wrote that officers then took off her license plates and even removed the screws. Leah stated she paid $255 to have the car towed home and missed her daughter’s basketball game. The next day she said she had to get a new registration and new plates but forgot to buy new plate screws. Insurance issues can create unexpected financial burdens, as a woman was asked to drop her coverage to lower a hospital bill. 

Leah wrote, “The police report confirms that my car was registered. The officer lied about this being a traffic violation. He issued me a citation, seeking criminal consequences.” She added that the officer listed three violations, two of them criminal and the third civil for towing an uninsured or unregistered vehicle. She also wrote that she was not allowed to use her own AAA account and therefore had to pay the $255 towing charge the officer required.

Not having an insurance card on hand and not having an active policy are two different situations. Freeway Insurance explains that a driver who was covered at the time of a stop but could not show proof may still get a citation, yet may later have the ticket reduced or dropped after providing documents. Those documents can include a certificate from the insurer or an insurance card on a phone. Some states let officers check insurance databases with a license plate.

Progressive listed possible results for driving without an active policy. Those can include fines as high as $5,000 in some states, a suspended driver’s license, the vehicle being impounded, jail time in certain cases, and extra paperwork. A lapse can also raise future insurance rates. Progressive noted that nearly every state requires insurance to drive, with New Hampshire listed as an exception, though drivers there must still show they can pay for damage or injuries they cause.

Moreover, buying a policy can take a few hours to a couple of weeks, but coverage can start in an hour or less after a quote is accepted, reports Car and Driver. Some companies offer same-day or instant policies. Buying online is often the fastest way because drivers can compare quotes quickly. 

The article recommended setting up an online account right away so the insurance card can be downloaded or printed. Insurance disputes can arise even when a driver believes they are covered, as in a case where an insurer blamed a woman for another driver running a red light. 

Some viewers commented on Leah’s video. One wrote, “Lord they have nothing to do.” Another said, “Officers have discretion. When they say they “have to” they are almost always lying.” A third commented, “He’s right, tho. Her insurance lapsed and was reported to the DMV. Even tho she has insurance, she has to go to the DMV and show proof of insurance.”

One more stated, “it is not the officer’s job to prove insurance is valid. that is the driver’s job.” Another user stated, “They can’t tow anyone’s car without consent, This is Theft.”