Saved from a ticket by an iPhone

A lot of days the iPhone is a big help in getting us through our lives, but it's not everyday an iPhone saves one of our readers from a world of County Sheriff hurt.

TUAW reader Paul tells us he was driving on a Midwestern road covered with blowing snow. He slowed down for a car stopped on the side of the road, but the car behind him hit his rear bumper, doing damage to both cars.

The officer who arrived to investigate asked Paul for his insurance card. Of course, that was when Paul realized it had expired the month before, and he didn't have the latest card in his wallet. The officer said it would be $200 for not being able to prove insurance coverage, and since Paul didn't have the cash it meant putting his license up for bond.

While the officer was doing the paperwork, Paul used his iPhone to log into his Geico Insurance account via the web. He was able to request a PDF copy of his card, which was emailed to his iPhone; then he displayed it to the officer. Happily, the deputy accepted the card as proof of insurance and did not issue the citation.

I expect most police agencies wouldn't be so open to the idea of looking at a downloaded document, but in this case, at least, it is yet another reason to love the iPhone.

Thanks Paul!