Many people wonder about SR22 insurance. Some people think that SR22 insurance is a form of insurance, additional to what they have. This is, of course, wrong.
With the SR22 insurance, the insurance policy is built in the same way as your regular car insurance, but there is one more aspect to the SR22 policy that does not exist in the auto policy: While your regular auto insurance policy is not required to be filed with the state, your SR22 policy must be filed. SR22 insurance is normally required from people with troubled driving history as a proof of ‘Financial Responsibility.’
States do vary in their process and definitions of the SR22 filing. In the Illinois, SR22 insurance fling is Financial Responsibility Insurance and is required from operators with safety suspensions, certain unsatisfied judgment suspensions, certain revocations, mandatory insurance supervisions and people who receive three or more convictions for mandatory insurance violations.
SR22 is a certificate of insurance showing active coverage. The certificate must be filed by the insurance company for a period of time ranging between 1 to 3 years. If the Insured fails to maintain the insurance, then the insurance company will cancel this certificate and will inform the State, at which point the State may suspend the driving privileges of the insured through the SR26 process.
In short SR22 is not extra insurance. SR22 insurance is a a car liability policy that must be filed with the State. It has certain minimum limits which are the same limits that the state sets for regular auto policy.
Limits of SR22:
Each state differ in the minimum requirements for the SR22. In Illinois the SR-22 policy must meet the minimum liability requirement. The minimum amount of coverage must be issued for at least $20,000 for one person killed or injured, $40,000 for two or more persons killed or injured and $15,000 for property damage.
Before You Get Your SR22:
Some tips:
a. Keep in mind that the SR22 certificate is NOT additional insurance. If you have an existing car policy you may ask your insurance agent to have it filed with the state as an SR22 certificate. Some preferred insurance companies do not offer the service, but others companies may file it with or without extra charges.
2. If your present insurance company does not offer SR22, try to get multiple quotes with scheduling your vehicle on the new policy and without a vehicle (as non-owner). There are no specific rules if you will save more on SR22 filing with / without scheduling your vehicle (all depend on your ZIP codes, age, vehicle type, marital, driving records, etc.) The best choice is to run a comparison. Many agencies offer free instant quotes for car and non-owner SR22 insurance.
After You Get Your SR22 insurance:
SR22 insurance should be treated with more care! Driving under a cancelled car insurance policy can bring very awful consequences in the event of auto accident. But driving under a cancelled SR22 insurance certificate can be very heart aching even without an accident. When SR22 certificate get cancelled (for any reason including non payment, failure to comply with certain insurer’s requirements, etc.) the insured’s driving privileges get suspended, which my result in arresting the operator and impounding the vehicle for any routine traffic stop.
An advice for people with SR22 filing is to pay their policy in full id they can, or to make sure that they pay their monthly premiums in timely manner (perhaps automatic drafts or similar arrangement.) Cancellation of SR22 for non payment of monthly premium is the most common cause of cancellation. It can be avoided with proper planning.
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