Failure to exhibit insurance card is a document violation under NJSA 39:3-29. In many instances, if a driver does not have their insurance card in their possession, the police will issue a ticket for 3-29. But what happens if it also happens that you do not have insurance on your car or that the insurance coverage has expired. Sometimes the police may also issue a ticket for 39:6(b)(2) simultaneously. However, if you are just issued a ticket for failure to exhibit, the court may require that you provide proof of valid insurance at the time of the stop when you appear for your hearing date. If you are unable to produce the valid insurance at the time of the stop, the prosecutor will amend the ticket to driving an uninsured motor vehicle, and then you will be facing a mandatory 1 year loss of license.
Many people do not understand how this process works and they make big mistakes by going to talk to the prosecutor and unknowingly make admissions that lead to the subsequent issuance of an uninsured or no liability insurance ticket.
If you have been issued a ticket for failure to exhibit insurance card, and you have any doubt at all that you may have had a lapse in your insurance and were uninsured at the time of the stop, then you should VERY seriously consider talking to a lawyer before going to court. Remember, if you make a mistake, your document violation, which is a fine only, could turn into a mandatory one year loss of license
Essex County NJ Criminal Attorney Blog 