What is an “SR22″ and what does it have to do with car insurance? Essentially, an SR22 auto insurance form is a document that must be carried to show that you are a financially competent citizen. Some people end up being issued these forms when they get caught by police for driving without a license or are charged with a DUI (see the article: “DUI auto insurance” for additional information). You are definitely going to need to be responsible and carry around one of these forms if you have gotten any other major type of traffic violation as well. Are you required to carry around your SR-22 insurance form for life? No, generally you will be issued a certain period of time to which you must retain this form and keep it on hand.
The average amount of time that people are required to keep SR22 forms is 3 years. When the three years are completed, you will probably not need to keep your SR-22. The details are different in every individual case; you may be required to have your form for a longer period of time if you were involved with a very serious road violation. People that get their license revoked are also required to have one of these forms. The individuals that have been required to get one of these forms due to lack of insurance are forced to purchase insurance if they want the time to expire for their SR-22; the three year period does not begin until you buy insurance.
It can get very tricky for people to get SR22 car insurance forms filed properly because the insurance companies understand that the individual has been involved in a serious driving offense. Anytime a person requests one of these documents from an insurer, this waves a red flag that the individual may have been involved in something serious. Clearly the insurance company is going to raise the cost of insurance for the person getting the document because they are now viewed as a high risk driver. Each company is going to handle their SR-22’s differently, so be sure to ask your insurance agency what will need to be done.
How will the state and legal system know whether or not someone gets an SR22 form? They will receive a notice from whichever car insurance company that you decide to work with. If you get insurance, but cancel your policy before your 3 year term, your insurer will notify the authorities and you will be in a bit of trouble; your license will be revoked. You should also know that the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) will also likely be involved in the process, so prepare accordingly.
You should also be aware that certain states are going to require you to pay additional money in order to file your SR22 auto insurance form. Each state handles the process of SR-22 forms in different ways; you should especially be aware of this if you plan on moving to a new state with your document. Moving to a new state does not change the status of your SR22, you are still held up by the guidelines of your old state. It is smart to be aware of what is all required in your state and how it affects the cost of your current insurance.
If you are confused about car insurance SR22 forms, you should contact your current insurer to ask them any questions that you may have. I realize that the process can be very confusing – especially to someone that doesn’t have insurance. Make sure that you contact an insurer or specialist for further help so that you can get your SR-22 filed properly.
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