Flock Alert Led to Insurance Ticket Despite a Valid Policy

A student in Georgia was ticketed for driving without insurance even though she presented a valid insurance card to the officer who stopped her. The stop happened because a Flock Safety license plate camera flagged her new car over an insurance issue. Techdirt reported the case, citing a WSB-TV report.

How the stop unfolded

The student, who has not been publicly identified, had just bought a new car and was heading to college when police pulled her over in Atlanta. She showed the officer a valid insurance card, but the citation was issued anyway.

"Upon showing proof of insurance in this instance, she was still issued a ticket citation," her mother, Renee Jones, told WSB-TV.

The next day she was stopped again, this time in nearby Cobb County, for exactly the same reason. As Techdirt notes, the officer could have checked her licence, registration and insurance on the same laptop that produced the alert, but relied on Flock's word instead.

Why ALPR systems get it wrong

According to Jalopnik, the root of the problem is that ALPR systems operate in real time while insurance databases update far more slowly. The result is a real-time alert built on information that has not caught up with reality.

Temporary plates have been widely abused, so their mere presence can look suspicious to an officer regardless of the driver. False alerts from plate readers have previously led to armed stops. Techdirt argues an administrative problem is being hot-listed with the priority of a violent crime.

What it means for the driver

The student now has to go to court to prove she was insured, something her valid policy should have settled at the roadside. In Techdirt's reading, the driver's word, which police once accepted, no longer outweighs a computer's answer.