This has all been computerized since the late 80s. They know if the car has a valid registration before they get out of the car, either by calling in your plates or by typing it into a terminal in the car. But since you are required to carry the registration in the car, not having it is something they can cite you for and make a few more bucks off of you.

I don’t get pulled over often but I haven’t Ben asked for registration in a long time. They do ask for license and insurance though.

They like to have a reason to make you open your glovebox so that they can see inside and maybe catch you with a joint or some loose pills

Because how do they know you didn't just steal a sticker? Those stickers don't have anything on them to prove you actually registered the vehicle. Just a color and a date period.

In my country, we get asked to blow into the breathalyzer. That's the only thing they haven't figured out how to make digital.

It's not to check if it's registered. It's to check if it's registered to YOU. Does the name/signature on your license match the name/signature on the registration? If not, you'll need to explain why you're in possession of the car.

Jurisdiction protocol?

Just another thing they can use to fuck with you and maybe get to write you a ticket for.

Or, if you're black, they then have an excuse to shoot you as you reach for it. "Looked like he was reaching for a weapon. I feared for my life!"

Fun fact: this never happens on a bicycle

In California, proof of payment for a vehicle registration renewal is allowed as proof of registration, specifically to cover the period after the payment is sent but before the DMV has issued the registration and corresponding sticker. So even if the DMV hasn't received the payment in the mail, if a motorist can show some sort of proof (eg a bill pay transaction on their phone), that is acceptable.

Also, the DMV here will issue one-day registrations, in order to allow a vehicle to be driven from one storage location to another. If a motorist has a proper one-day registration, that won't necessarily show up on the police computer, but is nevertheless legit.

Pulling people over for traffic violations is largely a money making scheme. Why remove the law from the books when computers are widely available when you can still add a fine for people who either don't have theirs or have an old one?

Stickers can be forged. Checking your papers against a database is a lot more certain. The sticker is just there (or out of date) to justify pulling you over.

We get asked for license and insurance, no registration.

In my state I’ve been asked for “registration” most of the times I have been pulled over but they have always meant my insurance verification. They have been able to pull up your plate registration in real time since the 80s at least and now it comes up automatically as they drive around because they have ALPRs on their dash.