Most States Require Sr-22 Insurance After Dui Arrest

By Author: ben austen
Total Articles: 21
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There are plenty of reasons to tick off for what makes getting a DUI/DWI one of the biggest financial set-backs you can experience as a driver.

It’s true that, a vast majority of DUI/DWI offenders are people who made mistakes in judgment. Several beers, a couple of drinks, or a glass or two of wine are enough to become legally intoxicated in most states. Many drivers don’t consider social drinking as being potentially risky, however, the laws say impaired driving begins when a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches .08 percent.

For some women, that’s two small glasses of wine. For an average man, it can be as little as two beers, depending on body weight, food intake and other factors.

The arrest for a DUI/DWI is just the beginning. After your night in jail where you usually can count of being sent to get the alcohol out of your system, the headaches begin. There are court fines and fees for DUI offender classes, typically required by the courts, and all of the inconveniences of having your license suspended and forced to find alternative ways to get to work and other ...
... places.

Getting a DUI in any state is downright embarrassing and, depending on whether it’s your first or your fourth, can have repercussions for many years to come. One of the requirements for most states in order to have your drivers’ license reinstated following a DUI conviction is the purchase of SR-22 insurance.

SR-22 insurance is now required by most states and needs to be taken care of before getting your license back. So, what exactly is SR-22 Insurance? Essentially, SR-22 Insurance is a court-ordered filing that you must complete to prove to the courts or administrators that you have auto insurance that meets at least the basic requirements of your state.

Once you purchase the SR-22 insurance, you receive an SR-22 certificate , which is kept on file at the Department of Licensing, Public Safety, or Motor Vehicles, depending on the state in which you live.
In most cases, you are required to have an SR22 on file with your state for three years. If your insurance policy is cancelled for any reason, the insurance company that issued the SR-22 filing must notify your state of the policy cancellation and the result for the driver is typically an automatic suspension of their license.

SR-22 auto insurance is typically one of the requirements for those who want to apply for a restricted license following an arrest for a DUI so that they may drive to and from their place of employment and for emergencies only.

In order to obtain a restricted license after being arrested for a DUI/DWI, offenders typically must:

Show proof of enrollment in an approved DUI program.
Show proof of financial responsibility (SR-22).
Pay the re-issue fee to your state licensing authority (DMV, DPS, DOL, etc)

Most laws mandate that the DUI/DWI offender report to court or their state licensing authority within a period of 30 days following their conviction, where they will be ordered to attend alcohol and driving school where they are taught about the dangers of drunken driving, BAC levels in their state, the health risks of alcohol on the body and other issues.

In many cases, the SR-22 Insurance cannot be purchased until these classes and all fines have been handled.

The bottom line is, when you are arrested and convicted for a DUI/DWI, you are almost guaranteed to have to pay fines, attend some form of traffic and drunk driving educational program and have your license temporarily suspended, provided you are not a multiple offender. In cases of second, third or higher number of repeat convictions for a DUI/DWI, a drivers’ license may be permanently revoked.

Either way, the requirement for SR-22 Insurance remains, even for those drivers who may not get behind the wheel for years to come.

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