Reader’s Question:

I have an sr-22. Does this cover the other car in case of accident if its my fault?

Amy

Good question Amy.

The sr 22 is your certification that you have meet the states minimum financial responsibility coverage.

The coverage would cover the other car if your state includes the Property Damage Liability.

The property damage liability covers you if your vehicle damages someone else’s property. It could be any property aside from the car you hit on the time of the accident. It is also your legal defense if they file a lawsuit against you. It is recommended that you buy enough of the insurance to give you coverage on the damage that your car might do to the other vehicle. The coverage is limited to the terms and conditions contained in your policy.

If you select a limits that are too low, this might be risky financially. If the damage exceeds your limits, you are responsible for the amount above your limits. You might be forced to liquidate property or your assets. You can help yourself by against this risk by purchasing liability limits for both your current assets and future net worth.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s question:

What is the exact coverage of sr22 in New Hampshire?

Mitch

Thank you for asking Mitch.

Sr-22 is a certificate and a proof of liability insurance of the motorist which is submitted by the insurance company to the Department of Safety in New Hampshire.

A certificate can be owner or non owner on sr-22.

The sr22 in New Hampshire is required for:

1. 3 years from the date of conviction/crash or from the date imposed by the examiner
2. if an individual is convicted of DUI second offense, 5 years from the date of the conviction
3. If the person is convicted of major offense in the time frame required to carry sr-22, the requirement will be extended for 3 years from the date of the major conviction.

The sr-22 confirms and certifies that you are complying with the financial responsibility laws imposed in the state of New Hampshire. This is being filed in DMV by your current insurance company.

The minimum limits liability for the coverage are 25/50/25, and you need at least these coverage before you can file for the sr-22. The limits stands for:

-$25,000 for Bodily Injury Liability per injured person up to a total of $50,000 per accident
- $25,000 Property Damage Liability coverage

You may contact New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles for more information on financial responsibility requirement.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s question:

My son has an sr-22 in Texas and Im just wondering what the process is to have it removed. Thank you.

Alice

Good question Alice.

An Sr-22 insurance policy is a certification that shows to the Texas Department of Public Safety a proof of insurance required by the state law. It is certified by the insurance company to the DPS and it is the responsibility of the insurance company to notify the DPS if the policy has been cancelled or terminated.

If the sr-22 is still required but has been cancelled, the Texas Department of Public Safety will receive a notification from the insurance company regarding the cancellation and as a result, the individual will be suspended from his driving privileges.

The form called sr-26 is filed by the insurance company to cancel the sr-22. If you have verified from the DPS that you no longer required to carry sr-22, you may contact your insurance provider to have your policy cancelled. Insurance company may require the motorist to show proof from the DPS that he no longer needs to carry the policy before canceling it.

It is very important the you contact DPS and your insurance agent to make sure that the sr-22 can be taken off already before canceling it.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

What happens if I cancel the last three months of my SR 22 insurance policy in the state of Texas?

Amy

Good question.

The state of Texas law provides a Safety Responsibility Law or the Evidence of Financial Responsibility for all motorist whose driver license has been suspended.

To reinstate your driving privileges, you are required to maintain an insurance in the form of sr-22 with the Department of Motor Vehicle. This would also include the original pink copy. It is mandatory that you maintain this policy for a period of two years from the date of the conviction. You will also be required to pay a reinstatement fee with the sr-22.

Basically, within the two-year time frame, if you cancel your policy within that year, the insurance company will notify the Department of Motor Vehicle that your coverage has been cancelled and that you might be suspended for canceling your policy.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

I have a full coverage when I received DWI? Do I still need an sr-22?

Melanie

Good question Melanie.

This case may vary from state to state. Generally though, you need an sr-22 if you did not pass or comply to your states financial responsibility at the time that you were cited for DWI. Most people would use the term “full coverage” to refer to the physical damage coverage.Physical coverage actually consists of collision and comprehensive coverage. The collision coverage generally covers the damage to the vehicle cause by collision in an accident. Comprehensive coverage on the other hand covers any damages to your car caused by vandalism, glass breakage and even theft. The state would require you to have the minimum liability coverage of certain bodily injury and property damage liability at the time of your DWI.

So if you need a “hardship” license to go to work for instance, you will definitely need an sr-22. This may be available in the current insurance company that you have.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

I just moved from Illinois to Texas. I was required to carry an sr-22 in Illinois. Do I still have to continue carrying sr22 since Im already in Texas?

Matt

Good question Matt.

Basically, sr-22 are being used differently in various states. Your sr-22 in Illinois is your car liability insurance policy that you were required to carry for reinstating your license after suspension. It is uniquely in this kind of situation because this would require your insurance company to inform DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) if the policy has been cancelled ,terminated or lapsed. Your license will be suspended until your policy has been brought current or have been reinstated if thats the case. In most States, law requires you to carry sr-22 insurance policy for a certain period of time, which is usually three years, after the end of your suspension.

If you are going to apply a license in a different state, most likely you will need to continue your sr-22 policy.

Please check with the DMV in Illinois and in Texas to verify if you are still required to carry this.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

Hi. I just want to know if a non owners sr-22 insurance covers policy holders in uninsured vehicles. Thank you.

Michelle

Thank you for asking.

You may need to verify first if the car that you drive is insured. You should not rely on the sr-22 insurance to provide the necessary coverage on the vehicle. Normally the non owners sr-22 is a secondary insurance. The insurance on the vehicle that you drive should follow as the primary for the insurance. The sr-22 also typically does not cover the vehicle with physical damage and other necessary coverage like PIP, UM or property damage.

If you are, for instance borrowed a car from a friend and you get into accident using that car, your friend’s car insurance will kick in first. But in other cases like, the accident was your fault and the property damage for the other driver exceeded the liability limits on your friend’s policy, your non owners sr-22 insurance policy would cover the excess up to the policy limits.

Remember that the non-owners policy covers liability only and not the vehicle.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s question:

How long do you have to carry SR-22 in Florida and does that start as soon as you are notified to have it?

Michael

Thank you for asking Michael.

You have to carry an sr-22 for three years in Florida and the three years begins from the date that you first get the sr-22 and should maintain continuos coverage.

If for instance, you were allowed to cancel sr-22 during those three years, then the period of three years will start from the day you begin again. So basically, the time period for carrying sr-22 begins at the notification date or the suspension date.

Since the period of time to carry sr-22 may also vary depending on various reasons, the start date may also vary. I would suggest that you contact Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) to know when the 3 year time period started for your requirement to carry sr-22.Once the sr-22 has been received by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, this will be filed and added to the financial responsibility database.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s question:

What do I do if Im required to carry an sr-22 but I do not have a vehicle?

Mike

Good question Mike.

The reason for getting an sr-22 is to certify by an insurance company that a person has the ability to pay future claims and would show that you are financial responsible. This certification is what we call sr-22.

If you do not own a vehicle, you can buy a non owners sr-22 that would provide you coverage for your liability protection.You are still required to carry an sr-22 even if you dont own a vehicle. Although the sr-22 will not cover the vehicle but only the liability that the driver may cause. This is required by the state.

The reason for carrying an sr-22 insurance is to protect other people’s injuries in case of accident. This can happen if you are driving someone else’s car. Thats the non-owners policy is for.

I hope that answered your question.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Reader’s Question:

I have an sr-22. Someone hit me while I was driving someone else’s car. Is it covered by the policy?

Charmaine

Good Question, Charmaine.

You may first then check if the vehicle that you drove is insured. The owner of that vehicle is required to insure it. You can get in trouble if there is no insurance on that car. However, your sr-22 policy will be secondary to the insurance on that vehicle.

Since you borrowed that car from somebody else, your friend’s car insurance will kick in first if you get involve in an accident. But for instance, the accident was your fault and the damage cost to the other driver, exceeded the liability limits of your friend’s policy, that is the time that your sr-22 insurance policy will cover the excess up to the policy limits.

I hope this would help.

Goodluck!

MariCAR