In Mississippi, an SR-22 filing is required by drivers whose license has been suspended as a means of proving their insurance status to the state. The filing of the form is necessary for the reinstatement of suspended licenses. Some of the situations necessitating the filing of the form within the state are:
The form has to be filed by a licensed insurance provider on your behalf and proves to the state that you currently carry an auto insurance policy that meets the minimum liability coverage requirements of the state.
The cost of filing an SR-22 with the state DPS, as charged by your insurance provider, varies from provider to provider but is unlikely to exceed $100. However, this filing or processing fee doesn’t fully show the financial impact of the SR-22.
A Mississippi driver with a clean record pays an average monthly insurance premium of $243. One DUI on record causes this amount to jump to $367. This amount can rise still following any convictions or offences during the maintenance of your SR-22 filing.
The state of Mississippi requires that this form be filed by any driver with a relevant traffic violation on his or her record. The same applies to any driver who has been found guilty of failing to maintain an auto insurance policy for three straight years.
The only alternative to an SR-22 insurance policy in Mississippi is to deposit a bond of $50,000 with the state treasurer.
Within Mississippi, there exist three different types of SR-22 certificates. They are:
A motorist may also be required to file an SR-22 on a motorcycle. This would just be a standard motorcycle insurance policy with an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility attached to it.
If you are a driver within the state of Mississippi who has no car but is required to file an SR-22 for whatever reason, you must file the form if you ever wish to drive legally in the state. The same applies for if your license has been suspended or if you are in the process of acquiring a new one. Provided you are required by the state to file for an SR-22, until you do so, your license would not be reinstated and you wouldn’t be allowed to drive within the state.
The SR-22 filing must be done by an insurance provider on behalf of an individual. To get it filed, the individual would have to request it from a licensed insurance provider and buy a valid insurance policy.
A valid insurance policy to accompany an SR-22 filing must meet the minimum liability coverage requirements of the state and these requirements are:
Once such a policy has been purchased and the insurance provider has filed the SR-22 with the state, a notice of confirmation is to be received from the DPS before the individual is allowed to legally drive.
If you are from out-of-state and you have an SR-22 within your old state but need to drive in Mississippi, you must maintain that out-of-state SR-22 and ensure that your liability coverage meet the minimum requirements of Mississippi. The same applies if you are leaving Mississippi for another state. Your SR-22 filing in Mississippi must be maintained.
First time offenders requiring SR-22 filings in Mississippi are expected to maintain their filings for 3 years though uninsured drivers involved in accidents would receive harsher terms than this.
In the case of drivers with multiple offences on their record, the time requirement would be different and would be set by the court amongst other penalties. During the years of the filing, there must be no lapse in insurance coverage.
What to do if the SR-22 lapses
If there is a lapse in insurance coverage during the mandated period of maintenance, the driver’s license would be suspended again pending the renewal of his or her insurance policy. The state could also decide if extra penalties are required for such a lapse.
How to go about cancelling my filing when I no longer need SR-22 coverage
After the completion of the period of maintenance of an SR-22 filing, a driver can confirm the completion of the mandate with the DPS before requiring their insurance provider to cancel the filing with the state.
First time offenders requiring SR-22 filings in Mississippi are expected to maintain their filings for 3 years though uninsured drivers involved in accidents would receive harsher terms than this. In the case of drivers with multiple offences on their record, the time requirement would be different and would be set by the court amongst other penalties. During the years of the filing, there must be no lapse in insurance coverage.
A Mississippi driver with a clean record pays an average monthly insurance premium of $243. One DUI on record causes this amount to jump to $367. This amount can rise still following any convictions or offences during the maintenance of your SR-22 filing.
For specific information pertaining to another state in question, please refer to the respective that are more in-depth.
In Mississippi, you can get rid of your SR-22 once the coverage period has expired. The safest way to do this would be to contact the DPS and confirm whether the mandate with the state has been completed. Once you have verified that the filing period is over, you can have your insurance provider cancel the filing. The cancellation of the filing should lead to a reduction in your insurance rates.
An SR-22 policy is expensive because the nature of the filing classifies a driver carrying it as a high risk driver and this classification influences the evaluation process for the determination of insurance rates.
If you don’t drive but you plan to in the future, you must file an SR-22 with the sate if it is required of you. This is the only way that you would be legally permitted to drive within the state of Mississippi.
Provided you are required by the state to file for an SR-22, until you do so, your license would not be reinstated and you wouldn’t be allowed to drive within the state.
You can drive another person’s car with an SR-22 in Mississippi but to do so, you would have to purchase a non owner insurance policy with a provider of your choice. The policy should meet the minimum liability coverage that the state mandates for every driver requiring an SR-22.
After the completion of the period of maintenance of an SR-22 filing, a driver can confirm the completion of the mandate with the DPS before requiring their insurance provider to cancel the filing with the state.
You would be informed when you no longer need an SR-22 by the state DPS but if this doesn’t happen, contact the DPS and confirm whether the mandate with the state has been completed.
An SR-22 is a form of financial responsibility that proves to the state that you currently carry an auto insurance policy that meets its minimum liability coverage requirements.