In the state of Ohio, an SR-22 certification is required when a driver gets into an accident or commits certain driving violations without possessing liability insurance or adequate coverage. The driving violations or offences that warrant the filing of an SR-22 in Ohio are:
The SR-22 issued in the state is a minimum liability insurance that would cover the limited amount of damages and personal injuries to other parties in the event of accidents. It is required to be in the driver’s name only and as such would not cover any of their personal injuries or damage to their own vehicle.
In Ohio, the cost of filing an SR-22 is low and insurers typically charge a one-time fee of around $20for filing the form with the Ohio state BMV. Being in the position of needing the filing would, however, increase your insurance quotes and cause them to be much higher than those on a regular car insurance policy.
The resulting rates can vary greatly from insurer to insurer and you be better served considering all options and weighing their advantages and disadvantages before settling on any particular policy provider. The difference in variation of the rates is due to the fact that each insurer tends to evaluate drivers differently.
As an alternative to insurance, drivers in Ohio can instead attach an SR-22 form to a financial responsibility bond. Though these bonds are also purchased from insurers, they are basically the cheapest way to meet an SR-22 filing requirement in the state.
Along with its cheap nature also comes the big disadvantage of not having any first party insurance. The bond is restrictive and limited to only the state’s legally required coverage, meaning that it provides no protection for the vehicle owners themselves. Other than this, the bond is okay as it meets the requirement s of financial responsibility of the state.
In many ways, the financial bond is similar to a non-owner policy that meets the state’s minimum liability requirements exactly. In other words, the bond doesn’t allow for additions to the state required minimums.
If you have no car, you would be required to buy a named operator policy or non owner SR-22 insurance if you intend on driving after your violation. The non owner policy SR-22 insurance policy would satisfy the state’s minimum requirements and provide liability coverage when driving another person’s car.
These non owner policies are cheaper than standard insurance policies because they are tied to the drivers instead of vehicles and, as such, provide liability coverage and not coverage for damage to your own vehicle.
It should be noted, though, that if you eventually buy a car, you should change your insurance policy to an owner’s policy that guarantees coverage for both the driver as well as liability coverage.
If you find yourself in a situation where you have no license but have committed a violation worthy of an SR-22 filing, you would still be required to buy an insurance policy along with the filing of your SR-22 as your SR-22 and your policy together is the only way to prove to the state that you are carrying the adequate coverage as mandated by the state for your license to be approved or reinstated.
The financial responsibility law in Ohio requires all drivers to carry either an auto insurance policy or another form showing future financial responsibility if involved in an accident. The reason for this law is to assure the state that in the event of an accident, the driver or motorist at fault is able to pay whatever costs resulting from any injuries or damage of property.
In order to satisfy the requirements of this lay, the insurance policy or bond, as the case may be, must have minimums of at least:
If your policy or bond meets these requirements, you can then have your policy provider file the SR-22 with the BMV on your behalf. Once the filing is done, you should be receiving a notice from the BMV confirming it.
If you are from another state or are moving to another state…
If you are moving from Ohio, you would still be required to maintain your SR-22 filing for the number of years mandated by the state. The same applies if you are moving into Ohio from a state in which you have filed an SR-22 though in this case you would be wise to review the insurance requirements of Ohio so as to make sure that your policy meets the minimum requirements of the state.
In Ohio, the minimum number of years you are required to file an SR-22 for is three years. However, the number of years your SR-22 would be required to stand for could be longer depending on your violation. The duration of maintenance of the SR-22 would be communicated to the offender or violator through the courts or directly from the BMV.
What to do if the SR-22 lapses
In Ohio, if your insurance policy or bond expires or lapses, you could face penalties that range from suspension of your license to even jail time. The state only allows a grace period of fifteen days for the policy to be renewed.
Allowing your car insurance policy to lapse also resets the time on your SR-22 maintenance. This means that if you were required to maintain it fir three years and you completed only two years before the lapse, you would be required to start over again and maintain the filing for the originally mandated three years.
How to go about cancelling my filing when I no longer need SR-22 coverage
Upon completion of your mandatory filing period, you would be allowed to switch back to paying the standard insurance premiums. Though, before doing this, it would be better to check with both your insurer and the state BMV first to verify the completion of your filing period.
The filing fee for the SR-22 form as charged by the insurance provider is a low one. The premiums on the policy are however going to be inflated to represent the increased risk of coverage the insurer is taking. This inflated premium can cause the average monthly insurance rate in Ohio to rise to as high as $142. This amount can still be further increased in more offences are committed while the filing is still in effect.
SR-22 is a certification that serves as a demonstration of future financial responsibility on the part of an individual who has been convicted of certain driving violations. The insurance accompanying such a certification requires that higher insures premiums be paid to cover for future risk. The more expensive policy that thus comes with the SR-22 form is referred to as ‘SR-22 insurance.’
For specific information pertaining to another state in question, please refer to the respective that are more in-depth.
An SR-22 can cause the average monthly insurance rate in Ohio to rise to as high as $142. This amount can still be further increased if more offences are committed while the filing is still in effect.
In Ohio, you can get rid of your SR-22 once the coverage period has expired. In some cases, the DMV sends a notice upon expiry of the coverage period but if they don’t, you can contact them to confirm that you no longer require the filing. Once confirmed, you can contact your provider to inform them that you no longer need the SR-22 after which they would cancel your filing and your premiums would return to normal.
Upon completion of your mandatory filing period, you would be allowed to switch back to paying the standard insurance premiums. Though, before doing this, it would be best to check with both your insurer and the state BMV first to verify the completion of your filing period.
In Ohio, an SR-22 filing could raise insurance rates of a driver by an average of 31%.
If after committing any of the offences that require an SR-22 in Ohio, a driver fails to file for the form. The driver’s license would remain suspended and would only ever be reinstated after the form is filed and the requirements necessary for reinstatement, as mandated by the state, has been met.
For your SR-22 to cover any car you drive, you’d have to purchase an insurance policy that provides such coverage.
In Ohio, the minimum number of years you are required to file an SR-22 for is three years. However, the number of years your SR-22 would be required to stand for could be longer depending on your violation. For instance, a five year license suspension due to a DUI could result in a five year SR-22 filing requirement. The duration of maintenance of the SR-22 would be communicated to the offender or violator through the courts or directly from the BMV.
When the need for an SR-22 filing is over, you would be contacted by the state BMV to cancel the filing. Alternatively, you can contact the BMV to confirm if the filing is still necessary.