Ontario drivers can now carry proof of automobile insurance on their smart phones or other mobile devices.

The change took effect Thursday, giving motorists an option to using the traditional paper “pink card” from their insurance company.

“We want consumers to have a choice,” said Finance Minister Rod Phillips, whose officials spent the last several months consulting with the industry and law enforcement agencies. “We’ve all rumbled through our glove compartments — certainly I have — looking for that little pink slip.”

Insurance companies applauded the move to digital proof of insurance, which brings Ontario into line with Alberta, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and many U.S. states.

“Being able to provide digital documents to today’s tech-savvy consumer is a baseline expectation of service we are thrilled to now be able to provide,” said Kim Donaldson, Ontario vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

“We look forward to working with this government to bring more choice and innovation to the market.”

In its April budget, Premier Doug Ford’s administration promised “transformative” changes to what it branded a “broken” auto insurance system to lower rates, but did not specify by how much after the previous Liberal regime couldn’t keep its promise of a 15 per cent reduction over two years.

The digital proof is “a step in the right direction” to modernizing elements of the industry, said Phil Gibson, managing director of personal insurance at Aviva Canada, which is pressing other provinces to adopt electronic proof of insurance.

Phillips said insurers must continue to issue paper versions of the pink cards for one year to ensure a “smooth transition” and cautioned that motorists switching to the digital version must ensure that they can properly display the electronic pink cards on their smart phones at all times.

That means motorists will have to make sure police can see the screen regardless of poor cell signals, drained batteries or damaged screens.

Intact Financial Corporation said the electronic option saves both insurance firms and their customers paper and time while “meeting the changing needs of customers in an increasingly digital world.”

“Digital pink cards offer a secure and convenient way to provide insurance information in an easy to access and readily available format, when and where they need it,” added Danny DaCosta, senior vice president for Intact’s Ontario operations.

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Intact, for example, has a “lock screen capability” on its app for smart phones so that customers can freeze the pink card on their screens before showing police, protecting the privacy of other information in their devices.

Motorists seeking a digital pink card should ask their insurance company.