Tony Robins : Yesterday on the Christmas Eve, when I was returining home from a party I was caught in Oklahoma and held for drunk driving ? What is SR22 insurance, since I do not know what this is all about?

How a DUI conviction affects your insurance

Response : If there’s anything that could drive your car insurance cost sky-high it’s a drunk-driving (DUI) conviction.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, there is an alcohol-related traffic fatality in the United States every 29 minutes. Aside from the risk of killing yourself and others, drunk driving carries with it serious penalties from your car insurance company.

Auto insurance companies may check your motor vehicle record only once every three years or when you’re applying for a new policy. It’s possible that accidents, tickets and DUIs may never make their way to your official motor vehicle record. However, if your insurer does discover your DUI and classifies you as a “high-risk driver,” shopping around at renewal time is the best strategy, as rates will vary greatly among auto insurers. On the other hand, a rate hike may be the least of your problems; your policy could be cancelled or nonrenewed, especially if you are currently in a preferred rate class. Then you’ll be forced to look for new car insurance with the double-whammy of a DUI and a cancellation on your record.

A rate hike may be the least of your problems.
Laws regarding DUIs and car insurance coverage vary by state. Most states requires DUI offenders to get a form called an SR-22 from their auto insurers, so you can’t hide. This form proves to the DMV that you carry liability insurance and removes your license suspension. An SR-22 also requires your insurance company to notify the DMV if it cancels your auto insurance for any reason. You’ll likely have to file proof of insurance for three — sometimes five — years with your state’s DMV.

Some car insurance companies don’t even offer SR-22 policies, so you may be nonrenewed or cancelled because your company can no longer provide what you need.

Insurers can miss DUI convictions
SR-22 laws
Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania don’t require SR-22s, but if you have an SR-22 and then move to one of these states, you must continue to meet the requirements of the SR-22 state where the offense was committed. New York and North Carolina don’t require SR-22 filings at all.In some states there is a fee for SR-22s.

Source: Progressive

It’s possible that your insurance company will never find out about your DUI conviction if you don’t have to get an SR-22. A June 2002 study by the Insurance Research Council revealed that as many as one-quarter of driving convictions never end up on motor vehicle records due to lack of shared information between courts and motor vehicle departments, or because a conviction has been erased through alternative means, such as driving school. If you get your charge reduced in a plea bargain, or have a limited license suspension, such as 30 days, it’s also very unlikely your insurer will find out about your conviction.

If your insurance company misses the conviction at the time it happens, it may still have a few years to raise rates if the DUI is discovered later.

It doesn’t end there. Your DUI conviction will follow you if you apply for life insurance and could affect your premiums there. However, please try out easy quotes at DUISR22carinsurancequote.com and you will get affordable SR22 car insurance.

Derrick : Nevada: I have only one speeding ticket and my insurer is telling me that they cannot insure my vehicle? Why is this so?

Response : Insurers often raise your car insurance rates after only one speeding ticket? It’s simple. The studies  by highway safety experts show that “the faster you go, the more deadly it is,” says Jeanne, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute (III), an industry trade group. “There’s a higher possibility you’re going to cause a lot of damage to people or property,” Salvatore says.

If you’re charged for speeding, your insurer may attach a temporary surcharge to your policy for three years. You may be asked to renew your auto insurance policy with a specialty insurer and their rates are normally over 50% higher than the normal insurance rates.

The size and duration of the increase varies depending on several factors, including:

• Your driving record and your relationship with the insurance company. Some insurers waive the surcharge if the customer has had a long relationship with the company and previously had a clean driving history.
• Where you live. Insurance is regulated by the states, and different states have different laws regarding the cost of car insurance. Some states don’t allow insurers to impose a surcharge for first-time speeding tickets, while others require insurers to raise rates for some speeding violations. For example, a single male driver who lives in Phoenix and receives one speeding ticket will experience an average rate increase of 16 percent, but the same driver will pay no more if he lives in Philadelphia.
• How much you were exceeding the speed limit. An analysis by USA TODAY found that 10 percent of ticketed drivers in 2002 were “extreme speeders”—drivers who exceeded 90 mph, or 15 mph above any speed limit. Extreme speeding is considered reckless driving, a major violation. Even a first-time citation can more than double the cost of car insurance and inflate your car insurance rate quote.

Speeding may also affect insurance rates other than just your auto insurance. Insurance companies may look at your driving record when deciding whether you’re a high-risk customer and could charge you higher rates for life, health, disability or long-term care insurance.

Please follow the regulations and drive safely to save your auto insurance premium and yourself.