Understanding the SR22

Understanding the SR22

The SR22 is a document that is submitted to your state department of motor vehicles by your insurance company to furnish proof that you have the minimum car insurance required in your state.
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The SR22 is for high-risk drivers and it is a court-ordered document.

The SR22 can be required by a court if you are.

Convicted of driving without a license.

Convicted of a DUI or a DWI.

Have a lot of accidents for which you are at fault.

Have a lot of repeat offenses in a short period of time.

Sometimes people refer to the SR22 as SR22 insurance.

But the SR22 form is simply a document that proves you have insurance.

The SR22 form typically costs about $25 to obtain.

But that’s not the end of it.

You must now buy insurance as a high-risk driver that will cost you considerably more that the same insurance would cost a driver without violations.

Not every state uses an SR22 form, but every state has a means of controlling high-risk drivers. Delaware, for example, does not use an SR22, but will likely require first-time DUI offenders to have an ignition interlock on the car that prevents the driver from driving when intoxicated.

States that do not require the SR22 include Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

Some states—Florida and Virginia, for example—use what is called an FR-44. This form in Florida and Virginia is usually only required after a DWI or DUI conviction.

In the case of the FR-44, the person receiving the form is required to carry car insurance that is double the minimum mandated in the state.

Insurance companies often specialize in the types of drivers that they prefer to cover with an insurance policy in your state. There is the so called preferred driver, standard driver and non-standard driver.

Preferred drivers. These are the drivers with great driving records, short commutes, typically they are low mileage drivers with few or no accidents.

Standard drivers. These are drivers who may have not had much driving experience, perhaps they put on a lot of miles during the year and sometimes have minor accidents.

Non-standard drivers. These so called non-standard drivers might be teenage drivers, drivers with poor credit scores and drivers with moving violations.

It is not a foregone conclusion that when a court orders you to get an SR22 that you will get it. You cannot apply for an SR22. You need to go to an insurance company and get them to provide an SR22 to your state.

Once the court orders you to get an SR22, you will likely have to carry it for three years.

If you are convicted of a DUI or DWI, your insurance rates will likely jump 200%, 300% or more.

The SR22 Certificate will likely take one of three forms:

The first is an operator's (non-automobile owner's) certificate that covers the driver whose license has been reinstated who drives a car that he or she does not own.

The second is the automobile owner's certificate, which is issued to a reinstated driver who owns his or her own car.

The third is the operator/owner SR22 Certificate that is issued to the driver who operates his or her own vehicle and a car owned by someone else.

If you do not make your insurance payment on time with an SR22, the policy will lapse, the insurance company will notify the state and you will again lose your license.

The bottom line of the SR22 is to pay your insurance bills on time, drive with care and get help if you have an alcohol or drug problem.