Reader question:

What are California SR22 insurance requirements?

Jessica

Thanks for asking, Jessica.

California has some of the most authoritarian drunk driving laws in the country, so if you have to file for California SR22 insurance, you’re not in for an easy ride. Not only will you see your rates shoot up past the already typically high California car insurance premium, but you will also have a lot of restrictions that will make your life difficult.

First of all, when you are convicted of driving under the influence in California, you don’t simply have your license suspended for a month or so like most other states do. Your license is suspended for six months. In order to get it back once that period is over you have to pay a hundred and twenty five dollars, and you are then given a month to have a California SR22 insurance form filed.

However, if you get that drunk driving conviction you could be facing a lot more than that. The fact that you might lose your driver’s license for six months might not affect you at all, because you might be in jail for that entire time. The fines are also pretty steep, coming in as much as a thousand dollars.

If you go driving drunk again and get caught, get ready for even worse. Your license will be gone for up to our years, you will have to file for California SR22 insurance, and you will have to take a course about driving while intoxicated and your car will have a breathalyzer installed on it so that you won’t be able to drive it if there is a hint of alcohol on your breath. This can make things difficult for people since many things set it off besides alcohol, such as mouth wash. But then again, that’s why you shouldn’t drink and drive.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Will I have to pay more for my auto insurance premium if I get an SR22 bond?

Neil

Great question, Neil.

This depends on what kind of driver you are and what your history is with the car insurance company you are with. For most drivers, my answer to the question of whether or not insurance premiums increase when an SR22 bond is filed would be, “OH YES” with several exclamation marks. It’s a widespread practice to charge those who file an SR22 bond fifteen to thirty percent more.

This is allowed because car insurance companies operate on the basis of risk, and that is how you are judged and rated. If you are high risk,then you will pay high car insurance prices. If you are low risk, then you will pay low car insurance rates. Having to file an SR22 bond pushes you into the high risk category.

Most people who have to file an SR22 bond describe it as being almost as bad as when they were teenagers paying for their auto insurance policy. You can rest assured, though, that even an SR22 bond is cheaper than filing for car insurance as a teenager, which is usually fifty percent more than the average car insurance policy holder.

The SR22 bond will hurt you the most when it is combined with other risk factors. For example, if you have to file an SR22 bond and you are under the age of twenty five, drive a high performance car, and have bad credit, then you can look at bankrupting yourself through the SR22 bond prices.

In order to avoid price hikes when you file your SR22 bond, you should look into other ways to get cheap car insurance. You might consider asking your car insurance company what kinds of discounts they offer and seeing if you qualify for them. While filing an SR22 bond will disqualify you for several discounts, there are still quite a few left for which you can still qualify if only you ask.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

What kind of SR22 form must I file?

Anne

Thanks for asking, Anne.

In most cases, you won’t be filing anything. However, car insurance companies handle the SR22 form in different ways. You will probably come up upon different scenarios for filing the SR22 form. Most commonly, your car insurance company will do it itself. First, you will request the insurance, and then your car insurance company will send the request on to its home office, which will file your SR22 form with your secretary of state. You’ll never even see it.

Other companies take a more hands on approach. Some will mail you the SR22 form, and then you will have to fill it out yourself and take it up to the department of motor vehicles for your state. Other car insurance companies take it online, and you can access your SR22 form through the internet, where it can be downloaded and printed out from your car insurance companies website, and you might even be able to fill it out on a pdf document before you print it.

As for the kind of SR22 form you will file, there are three types.

• Operator’s SR22 form. This is for someone who does not own a car, but only drives other cars, and thus needs an SR22 form to drive non owned vehicles.
• Owner’s SR22 form. This is the SR22 form that is filed for the driver and car that they own.
• Owner Operator SR22 form. This is a combination of the two above types, and covers the insured in both cars that he does not own and the car or cars that he does own.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

How do I get cheap SR22 insurance?

Winston

Thanks for your question, Winston.

I find that a lot of people who have SR22 auto insurance coverage are a little paranoid. They want to have cheap SR22 insurance, but at the same time they want to be protected, and being high risk drivers they feel that it’s better to have the most amount of coverage so that they don’t end up paying even more in the case of an accident. This is an understandable fear, but it is also unnecessary. One of the best ways to get cheap SR22 insurance is to get as little insurance as possible.

• Check your state’s minimum.

I advise that all drivers carry some kind of insurance, even if their state doesn’t require any at all. Of course, for those looking for cheap SR22 insurance, this problem is moot, because they are required to have insurance. When you want to find out what the best amount of coverage is to have for your cheap SR22 insurance policy, the answer is right before your eyes, under your state minimum liability requirements.

• Why shouldn’t I get full coverage?

There are some cases when you have to find out other ways to get cheap SR22 insurance, such as when you are buying a car. In this case, you are required to have comprehensive and collision, and often even gap insurance along with your cheap SR22 insurance coverage. If this is the case, there isn’t much you can do in this area.

It might also be in your best interest to get full coverage if you have an expensive or high performance car which would cost far too much to repair or replace.

However, if you have a car that is worth less than a thousand dollars, then there is no excuse for you to get more than the cheap SR22 insurance minimum liability coverage. Even if your car is worth more than that, it might not be necessary. Think about how well you drive. You’ve already learned your lesson, right? If you were a good driver before your drunk driving conviction, you probably don’t have a big chance of getting into an at fault accident so long as you practice defensive driving.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

What is SR22 filing?

Greg

Thank you for asking, Greg.

This is a pretty popular concern, thanks to the rise in convictions for drunk driving and speeding, which are the cases which most often require SR22 filing. SR22 filing is something that must be done after these convictions in order to keep your license.

Normally when you are convicted of drunk driving, or you collect too many traffic violation points on your record, your license will be suspended for a certain period of time. Once you reinstate the license, you will have to file proof of insurance with the department of motor vehicles with your state for three years. This only applies, though, if you actually reinstate your license right away. If you wait three years, then you don’t need to do SR22 filing at all.

SR22 filing allows the state to be aware that you have insurance at all times. If your SR22 filing for insurance is not renewed, or is cancelled, then an SR 26 form is submitted. Once this is received, your license will again be suspended.

The best way to make sure that your SR22 filing is not cancelled is to renew it at least a month ahead of time, and to stay out of trouble. If your company already knows that you have a drunk driving conviction, then it is not likely that they will cancel your policy for this. However, if during the period of your SR22 filing you do something else which adds risk, such as buying a high performance car, then you could have your SR22 filing policy cancelled. While you have SR22 insurance, it’s best to lay low.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader’s Question:

How many years do I have to carry the sr-22 in the state of Nevada?

Ricardo

Thank you for asking Ricardo.

The amount of time that an individual is required to carry the the financial responsibility certificate or the sr22 depends upon the reason that is mandated by the state in Nevada.

According to the Nevada Department of Vehicles, an individual must carry an sr-22 for a period of three years if you get involved in an accident and was caught driving without an insurance. If, for instance, you get convicted for traffic offense like DUI, to reinstate your license, you will need to show proof of financial responsibility and purchase an sr-22. This period to carry the sr-22 starts when you reinstate your license.

The sr-22 insurance , according to the Nevada DMV, has no statute of limitation. If you want to know when the sr-22 coverage ends you will need to contact the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles directly. They will not notify you if you are no longer required to carry the sr-22.

If your sr-22 coverage has been cancelled or terminated ( for example due to non payment) before the required period to carry it, the insurance company will send notification to the Department of Motor Vehicle that the policy has been cancelled. Therefore the DMV will suspend your license and you will be notified by the DMV through certified mail regarding the cancellation. You will then have to obtain the sr-22 and the period to carry the form will have to start all over again.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

I was able to maintain an sr-22 for three years, will I be notified by the DMV that Im no longer required to carry it or do I still have to file something to have it removed?

Karlin

Good Question Karlin.

You would still have to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles whether or not they will notify you regarding the removal of the sr-22 because each state has different laws and guidelines on processing this.

In some states, The Department of Motor Vehicles notifies an individual if the period to carry the sr-22 is up already while other states dont. You are likely have been told of how long you will need to carry the sr-22 after the suspension or after showing the proof of financial responsibility in the form of sr-22. So the Department of Motor Vehicle may no longer inform you if the period is over to carry the certificate.

I would suggest that you contact the DMV to get information of the time limit and how to go about removing it if the period to carry it is over. You can also speak to an insurance agent on how to remove. You may be ask by your insurance company to provide certification or any documentation from the DMV that you are no longer required to carry the sr-22.

Once the sr-22 has been cancelled, your insurance company will send the information to the Department of Motor Vehicles that the policy has been cancelled or terminated, in the form of sr-26.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

What is the difference between the sr-22 and sr-21?

Anne

Thank you for asking Anne.

An sr-22 is a certificate that is being required to those convicted of certain traffic offenses that shows proof of Financial Responsibility to the state. In most states, this is needed to reinstate license after suspension if an individual was caught driving without insurance.

This is being filed by the insurance company to the Department of Motor vehicle to show proof that an individual has the minimum car liability insurance in effect. But each states has different requirements for this form.

On the other hand, the sr-21 or Indiana Operator’s Proof of Insurance/Crash report is being filed to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles within 10 days, if an individual got involved in an accident causing a damage of more than $1000. This form is needed to be signed by the authorized insurance representative to show proof that the vehicle owner is insured. This form can be downloaded from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV).

You may contact the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles , Accident Department to give you more information on the new Indiana sr-21 or Indiana Operator’s Proof of Insurance/Crash Report.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

What would be the penalties if a person driving without an insurance in the state of Illinois got involved in an accident and injured another driver?

Aries

Good question Aries.

It is required by the state of Illinois that an individual must carry a bodily injury liability limits of $20000 per injured person up to $40000 per accident and a Property damage liability of $15000. This coverage needs to be maintained on the vehicle at all times.

If you get caught driving without insurance, you will be required to pay fines and your vehicle registration will be suspended. Typically, if its a first offense of driving without insurance, you will have to pay the fine of $500 and your vehicle registration will be suspended for 60 days.All motorist are held responsible for the damages due to accidents according to the Illinois Safety and Financial Responsibility law. If you get involved in an accident without an insurance, you will need to file a proof of Financial Responsibility in the form of sr-22 for a period of 1-3 years.Your driving and registering privileges will be suspended if the judgment is unsatisfied or fines were unpaid for 30 days. Normally, the sr-22 must be filed for 3 years if the judgment is for $500 or more.

You may contact a lawyer or the Illinois Safety and Financial Responsibility to get more information on the laws and penalties for uninsured motorist who get involved in an accident.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

What is the coverage of sr-22 in New Hampshire?

Yazmin

Thank you for asking Yazmin.

An sr-22, according to the New Hampshire Department of Safety, is a proof of liability insurance that is being submitted by the insurance company for liability.This certificate can be either owner or non owners policy. This is valid until cancelled by using sr-26 form that is submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles by the insurance company to notify them that the policy has been cancelled or terminated.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles, the sr-22 is required for:

1. three years from the date of the conviction

2. five years for the DWI second offense

3. extended 3 years if convicted with the major offense within the time frame required to carry the sr-22, from the date of the major conviction.

The sr-22 is usually required in situations if you get involved in an accident with no insurance policy or if get convicted with a serious traffic violations. This form should be filed by your current insurance company to the Department of Motor vehicles.

The minimum liability coverage in the state of New Hampshire is at 25/50/25. You will need to have the minimum liability coverage to be able to file an sr-22. The Bodily Injury Liability is $25000 per injured person up to a total of $50000 per accident, while the property damage coverage is at $25000.

You may contact the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles to know more information on the financial responsibility requirements.

Goodluck!

MariCAR