Being required to have an SR-22 with your car insurance provider doesn’t mean you’ve been put on a sort of blacklist as a driver. It just means your risk to insure is higher than most drivers. The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay like that forever. But in the meantime, you will have to maintain an SR-22 in your car insurance for a period of time. The best part about an SR-22 is how easy it is to maintain. As you will soon find out when reading this post, filing an SR-22 is no challenge either.
What is SR-22 Insurance?
While insurance is technically in the name, an SR-22 is anything but a type of car insurance. An SR-22 instead serves as a certificate from your car insurance provider that you carry at least the adequate amount of coverage as a high-risk driver. Your car insurance provider then files it with your state’s DMV, and you are allowed to drive legally again. An SR-22 is also called a certificate of financial responsibility in some states or an FR44. Regardless of the label, they all serve the same purpose and function similarly.
When Would SR-22 Insurance be Required?
A high-risk driver usually has a serious traffic violation or a regular series of minor ones. You’ll be notified by your state’s DMV if you require an SR-22. They will usually contact you with this news if you have or done any of the following:
- DUI conviction (the most common reason for an SR-22)
- Serious traffic violations (like reckless driving)
- Too many at-fault insurance claims
- Got caught driving without car insurance
- Got caught driving with a suspended license
- Not paying child support when it is court-ordered
- Violated a hardship license
Getting SR-22 Insurance
As said before, getting SR-22 insurance itself is not a difficult process. In fact, your car insurance provider will do most of the work. Since an SR-22 is a certificate that you have car insurance, the first step is naturally making sure that you have it. If you don’t, then now is the time to shop around for auto coverage. SR-22s are a fairly common service that both local and national car insurance companies can help you with. Once you find the right provider with a quote that fits your budget, it is time for the insurers to file the SR-22 with the state DMV. If you already have a car insurance policy, but the provider doesn’t file SR-22s, then you should find one that does.
Does an SR-22 Cost Anything?
Since an SR-22 isn’t a type of car insurance, it has no premiums or rates. The only expense related to it is the filing fee of around $25. For about three years, you and your car insurance company will be required to file one each year when it expires. The real expense that comes with being a high-risk driver is your car insurance premiums on their own. As a high-risk driver with an SR-22, you will pay above your state’s average. How much exactly depends on the violations or circumstances that led to you filing an SR-22.
A violation like a DUI, for example, can increase your car insurance rates by at least 60%. More often than not, the new premiums are over 100% of what they were before the violation. There is no traffic violation that will increase your car insurance rates more than drinking and driving, mainly because it’s entirely avoidable on the driver’s part and an accident waiting to happen.
Is There Such Thing as Cheap SR-22 Insurance?
Not exactly, since SR-22 filing fees are consistent across the United States. The most that you can do is shop and compare providers for the best result. There are some car insurance providers that pride themselves on insuring drivers with high-risk or an SR-22 and may be willing to offer you acceptable rates. At the same time, don’t forget what got you in the SR-22 situation –reckless driving decisions. You can make the change and make safe driving an instinct. Car insurance companies reward safe drivers nicely with discounts and lowered rates. So at the end of the day, do not let your SR-22 expire when it shouldn’t and avoid further driving violations until it isn’t needed anymore.
