A Proven Criminal Defense Team

What is ‘SR-22 insurance’?

On Behalf of | Feb 13, 2015 | Driving While License Suspended |

Our world is increasingly filled with acronymns, abbreviations, jargon and buzzwords. Somewhere in those blizzards of letters and numbers, you can find SR-22. Some people think it’s a form of insurance required of drivers who commit a DUI, while others might recognize the letter-number combination but are not sure from where it came.

The truth is that SR-22 is that it “is not an insurance policy,” as Colorado’s Division of Motor Vehicles states on its website. However, it is an insurance company form that a DUI offender is required to file with the DMV when applying for driver’s license reinstatement. The form is part of your proof of auto insurance.

As many people know, auto insurance rate hikes often accompany a DUI offense.

The SR-22 form tells the insurance company that it must notify the DMV if you cancel your coverage. And it also requires the insurer to let the DMV know if your required SR-22 lapses.

If the DMV gets that notification, your driver’s license can be suspended. You will then have to go through a series of steps (many take these steps in concert with their attorney) to have it reinstated.

So if you are required to file a SR-22, simply ask your insurance agent for one. You can file the form with the DMV at its Lakewood office or mail it with your application for license reinstatement (form DR 2870).

And if you change auto insurers, be sure to get a new SR-22 and file it with the DMV.

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