View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2003/03/19/27220.htm
The Professional Insurance Agents of New York has asked the DMV to cease a pilot program that sends drivers ads with their registration renewals in the mail. “If you register your car in New York,” said the bulletin, “expect to receive junk mail from GEICO (an auto insurer) and other advertisers, courtesy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.”
“PIANY believes that sending advertisements for any for-profit enterprise is wrong. The endorsement of state government should not be for sale to the highest bidder,” said PIANY President David Isenberg in a letter to DMV Commissioner Raymond P. Martinez.
The bulletin noted that in many, if not most cases, the renewal date for auto insurance policies will coincide with the registration date of the vehicle. The PIANY contends that it is wrong for the DMV to provide GEICO a competitive advantage by selling an effective surrogate (the registration renewal date) for insurance expiration dates, and giving these solicitations a ride into peoples’ homes with official state registration renewal materials. “We are asking the state to immediately suspend any mailing of insurance solicitations with registration materials,” Isenberg stated.