Illinois Motorists Can Use Phones as Auto Insurance Proof

Gov. Pat Quinn has signed a new law that lets Illinois residents use cellphones to prove they have auto insurance.

The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers reports Quinn signed the legislation Friday. More than a dozen other states also let motorists use programs on their smartphones instead of paper cards provided by auto insurance companies.

The new law takes effect immediately. Insurance companies are already offering the service. For example, Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance has a Pocket Agent app, which has been used an estimated 750,000 times.