MoneyGeek examined non-owner SR-22 insurance premiums in Washington using the rates of drivers having a DUI on their infractions record. In this case, the insurance cover bodily injury liability of $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $50,000 per accident for property damage liability.
To assist you in finding affordable SR-22 insurance in Washington, MoneyGeek has provided answers to frequently asked concerns concerning costs, the form filing procedure, and the best companies to shop with. In Washington, drivers who commit a grave traffic offence must file an SR-22 form. This document verifies to the government that the convicted motorist fulfills the minimum auto insurance requirements of the state.
Your insurer must electronically file an SR-22 form on your behalf if you need one. However, because your significant traffic offense may render you a high-risk driver, your insurance provider may refuse to pay your SR-22 insurance. In Washington, SR-22 insurance is often more expensive than standard coverage.
In Washington, SR-22 insurance costs an average of $1,214 per year for minimal DUI coverage, according to MoneyGeek. This premium is approximately $523 higher than the cost of a comparable insurance for drivers with a clean driving record. State Farm offers the most affordable SR-22 coverage in Washington.
The average annual cost for minimal coverage for a DUI offense is $550. The minimum SR-22 coverage duration for drivers convicted of a serious traffic offense is three years. However, lengthier sentences may be imposed for more egregious offenses. MoneyGeek evaluated insurance prices from eleven of the leading insurance firms in Washington, given by Quadrant.
- Our investigation contains quotations from Washington ZIP codes.
- Full coverage plans with $100,000 in bodily injury liability insurance per person, $300,000 in bodily injury liability insurance per accident, and $100,000 in property damage liability per accident were procured quotes for.
- The rates apply to the same person with a clean driving record and a DUI.
About the Author Mark Fitzpatrick is a senior content manager focusing in insurance at MoneyGeek. Mark has extensive expertise studying the insurance business and developing innovative research and content. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and a Master of Arts from Johns Hopkins University.
How long must I maintain SR22 coverage in Washington?
State of Washington SR22 Insurance How Long Is an SR-22 Necessary? The DOL may stipulate that the SR-22 certificate be on file for up to three years. It is vital that you do not cancel or let your coverage to lapse within the required three-year period. If you allow this to occur, the Department of Licensing may suspend or revoke your driving privileges.
- Statutory SR-22 Limits
- $25k Personal harm or death of one individual
- $50k Injury to or death of two or more people
- $10k Property damage
- Types of Approved Policies
- Auto policy
- General Form
- Specific Non-owner
- When is a required Ignition Interlock Device (IID)?
- While a driver’s license is suspended or revoked, the individual may get an Ignition Interlock Driver’s License, which will allow the individual to operate a car fitted with an ignition interlock device.
- To be eligible for an IID license, a driver’s record must have all of the following information:
A conviction or arrest for any of the following:
- DUI or Physical Control with booze or illegal substances
- Reckless Driving
- Vehicle Assault involving drink or drugs
- Homicide by motor vehicle involving drugs or alcohol
- A valid WA driving license or a valid out-of-state driver license is required.
- Not included in the present suspension or revocation are:
- Underage Possession, or
- Repeated Traffic Offender (Suspended 1st degree)
Underage Possession, or Repeated Traffic Offender (Suspended 1st degree)
As needed by law, an SR-22 insurance policy is a certificate of insurance that demonstrates future insurance coverage to the department ( AS 28.20.230 ). After your driving privileges have been revoked or suspended, you may be forced to purchase an SR-22 policy for restoration.
- If you are needed to provide proof of SR-22 insurance filing prior to having your license reinstated, you must get a copy of the SR-22 insurance binder (dated within the previous 30 days) or application for the binder (dated within the last 30 days).
- SR-22 is a liability insurance policy for motor vehicles that requires the insurance company to certify coverage to the Division of Motor Vehicles, and the insurance company must inform DMV if the policy is canceled, terminated, or lapsed.
You do not need to own a vehicle to purchase this insurance. If you do not own a vehicle, inquire with your insurer about a non-owner SR-22 coverage. For the majority of violations, you must maintain this type of insurance for three years following the expiration date of any revocation. Five (5) years from the date of expiration for the first offense Ten (10) years from the date of expiration for the second offense Twenty (20) years from the date of expiration for the third offense SR22 must be carried for the driver’s whole lifetime in the following conditions: Fourth offense for convictions of DWI or Refusal Unsatisfactory Evaluation E-mail: [email protected]
How can I get my license back in Washington State after a DUI?
My license has been suspended. What do I do now? – If you are aware that your license has been suspended, you must first determine why. There are a lot of reasons why your license may have been suspended, and the reinstatement process varies significantly based on the reason.
Depending on the reason, you may be required to fulfill court requirements and pay penalties, as well as pay a license and reinstatement charge. Even if you do not believe your license has been suspended, it is a good idea to verify its status after you are released from jail. Driving with a suspended license is illegal, and if you are stopped while driving with a suspended license, you will likely be arrested and your vehicle seized.
Arrest may constitute a new infraction that must be reported to your CCO. If you know your driver’s license number, the simplest approach to determine why your license was suspended and what you must do to restore it is to utilize the DOL’s online license reinstatement tool, which we briefly covered in section 3.
- Using this tool, you may securely enter your personal information, and the system will generate a list of the difficulties that are preventing your license from being issued, along with detailed instructions and contact information for each item.
- This application may be accessed at https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/dsdreinstatements/.
You must provide your name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and eye color as shown on your driver’s license. If you do not know your driver’s license number or do not have Internet connection, you can purchase a copy of your driving record by following the steps in section 3.
- How you have your license reinstated will depend on why it was suspended in the first place; however, it is difficult to provide specific guidance without knowing the whole context.
- Remember that for the majority of license suspensions, you may also utilize the online driver’s license status tool on the DOL website to obtain detailed, step-by-step directions on how to reinstate your license.
Below you can discover broad guidance for a few typical problems, as well as links to further resources that can give more specific assistance. Suspensions of a driver’s license can be civil or criminal; civil indicates that you have received a ticket, fine, or other punishment, whereas criminal means that you have committed a crime.
- Few significant violations, such as Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or repeated reckless driving, result in criminal license suspensions.
- The DOL relicensing tool does not contain information concerning criminal suspensions; if your license has been suspended due to a crime you committed, you must contact the DOL to obtain a summary of your driving record.
For civil license suspensions, the DOL’s online tool can assist you determine how to reinstate your license. Do not disregard a traffic ticket or court date associated with a traffic ticket. If you disregard a traffic citation, your license might be suspended and you will likely still be accountable for the fine.
If you feel the ticket should not have been issued to you, you can protest it by following the procedures on the ticket. Note, however, that the deadline for fighting a ticket is rather short, so it is likely too late to contest a ticket you received before going to jail. As long as you are not driving, merely possessing a suspended license is not illegal.
If you do not intend to drive following your release, you may be tempted to disregard your license suspension and never bother to reinstate it. Depending on the circumstances, this may be acceptable, but keep in mind that if your license was suspended because you owed money (for unpaid tickets, damages, or other charges), you are still liable for paying those payments.
If you don’t pay them, they might be sent to collections, which can harm your credit score, therefore it is essential to take care of them immediately. And you should never drive if you suspect your license has been suspended; if you are stopped while driving with a suspended license, you could be arrested and your vehicle might be seized.
Unpaid parking tickets or moving violations. A suspension for unpaid tickets is considered civil. If your license was suspended due to unpaid citations, you must first determine which tickets led to the suspension. This information is accessible through the DOL’s web portal at https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/dsdreinstatements.
- Or by sending an email to [email protected].
- Once you have determined which tickets are causing your license to be suspended, you should attempt to contact the court that issued the citations; they will be able to advise you on your next steps.
- Courts may have varying procedures for this, so you should always contact the court for guidance.
A suspension resulting from an incident. A civil suspension is a suspension connected to an accident, such as an accident while driving without insurance or failing to pay damages owing after an auto accident. If your license was suspended as a result of an accident, you must contact a DOL office for guidance.
You can locate the DOL office closest to you by visiting https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dsdprod/dsdoffices/. DUI/reckless driving/repeat traffic violator (HTO) A suspension for driving under the influence or another major traffic crime is a criminal suspension. If your license has been suspended due to a DUI or other criminal crime, you may be required to complete an alcohol or drug treatment program, pass a driving test, or install an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) on your car before it may be reinstated.
The reinstatement criteria for each sort of criminal suspension are available at www.dol.wa.gov/forms/500015.pdf. If you want more detailed information, the Washington Law Help website may be of assistance. These resources are given at the conclusion of the chapter, however the following documents may be especially useful: My License to Drive Was Suspended.
Can I retrieve it? www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/my-driver-license-was-suspended-can-i-get-it? ; ref=LhJ7K Have Outstanding Traffic Tickets? How To Keep Your Driver’s License From Being Suspended, Child Support and License Suspension, www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/what-to-do-about-a-license-suspension-notice.
Lastly, the Northwest Justice Project (NJP) offers free legal aid to low-income persons who need their license reissued so they can work. If your license has been suspended for any of the following reasons, they may be able to assist you.
- Unpaid traffic violations
- Suspension owing to an automobile collision in which you were uninsured
- or
- You have one or more offenses for driving with a suspended license, and you still owe fines after the suspension term has expired.
If you believe you may fulfill these requirements, contact NJP between 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. by dialing 211 (in King County) or the CLEAR hotline at 888-201-1014. (if you are outside King County). Note that they cannot assist you if your license was suspended due to inability to pay child support or certain criminal traffic offences, such as DUIs.