In case you don’t know, or you aren’t clear about it, SR22 is a document that is required by most states in the United States and that serves as proof of financial responsibility. It is normally required by insurance companies to prove to authorities that they complied with the car insurance requirements of the state in certain situations.
As of this writing, the only states that don’t require the SR22 form are Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
Anyway, in California, the SR22 is a life saver if you got your license revoked because you were caught driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol. With it, you stand a chance to get your license back.
- Contact your insurance company and ask if they offer SR22 auto insurance. Some of them do and some of them don’t, so it’s going to be the luck of the draw.
- If your insurance company doesn’t offer SR22 auto insurance in California, then you will have to contact an insurance broker that has a license for working with SR22.
- Find the licensed insurance broker through the National Association of Insurance commissioners. They will give you the information of the agents that work in your area. You can either call them or see their website: www.naic.org.
- Once you obtain your SR22 auto insurance, you will have to carry it with you while you drive for three years once you get your license back.
- As you can imagine, you’ll have to be very careful while you drive under a SR22 policy. No infractions or accidents or you will get your license revoked again and you’ll have to restart the three year period again.
- In addition to being responsible when driving, you will also have to be very responsible about your SR22 policy. You can’t cancel it, suspend it, or otherwise alter it during these three years. In addition, you have to be very vigilant on your payments, and you can’t miss any, not even by one single day. If your insurance company detects any missing payment or mishandling of the SR22, it is obligated by law to inform the Department of Motor Vehicles of California that you are out of regulation. In that case, you’ll start your three period from the beginning, even if you had only 1 day to go.
The SR22 insurance is quite bothersome and somewhat expensive. You’re better off not requiring it, so I’d advise the same thing that anyone else: if you drink, don’t drive.