It is pretty well known that most states require all drivers to carry some form of financial responsibility to pay for any damages they may cause while driving. A popular form of this financial responsibility is auto insurance, and states have a given minimum requirement of auto insurance for all drivers to carry. This requirement involves the types of coverage that must be purchased, along with the minimal monetary amount that each coverage must have.
Failing to carry auto insurance will result in the notification to your state’s transportation department and penalties will be issued. A state can be notified when a driver isn’t carrying auto insurance, either by an insurance company telling the state a person hasn’t renewed their auto insurance policy or by a traffic officer reporting the absence of proof of insurance when completing a traffic stop. Many officers now request your insurance card in addition to your license and vehicle registration. Penalties for not having auto insurance range from fines and the suspension of your driver’s license and/or vehicle registration to very expensive fines and jail time, all of which depends on how many times you have previously committed this crime.
If you have found yourself in this situation, where your driver’s license has been suspended because of a lack of auto insurance, we can offer some suggestions on what you can do to find a great auto insurance policy as well as reinstate your driver’s license. It may be a question of where to begin or how to approach your situation, but your condition can improve if you work hard and become dedicated to keeping the laws about carrying auto insurance now and through the future.
You will not be able to reinstate your driver’s license until you have proof of auto insurance, so the first step would be to find an insurer who is willing to work with you at this difficult time. You can try to use our auto insurance search by entering in your zip code and honestly answering the remaining questions regarding your driving history and vehicle you drive, but in the end they may not offer you auto insurance over the Internet and will want to speak directly to you to work with you more effectively. If anything, this method of searching for an auto insurance company will at least provide to you a list of local auto insurance companies that you can contact on your own.
Contacting auto insurance companies to get auto insurance when you have a suspended driver’s license needs to be done with a lot of patience on your part. Keep in mind that auto insurance companies provide insurance hoping the driver will not need to make many claims. They base their rates and whether or not they will provide insurance to a particular driver on the driver’s level of risk of making a claim. Being found without auto insurance while involved in getting a traffic ticket or an accident puts you at a higher risk level in the insurer’s point of view, so don’t expect to see any cheap premiums coming your way at first.
When it comes to the price of your premium, allow the auto insurance agent to explain their policies on providing insurance to someone of high risk. They may expect you to pay a high rate for a certain time period, but if you have demonstrated safe driving during that time period by not receiving any traffic tickets or being involved in any accidents while maintaining your auto insurance policy, your rates may begin to decrease. If the insurance agent does not mention this, politely ask if they follow this pattern.
If by chance the first auto insurance company offers to provide insurance to you, perhaps you should opt to tell them you will think about it and call the next auto insurance company to see what they will provide to you. Not all insurance companies offer the exact same price for auto insurance policies, and you could still find something that may be slightly cheaper. Knowing what each auto insurance company is willing to provide for you will help you make a better decision in the long run, as opposed to just picking a random company and going along with what they have to say. Remember to stay patient as you search.
When you have found a policy that suits you best, purchase it and request proof of insurance immediately. Usually the court of law only gives you a small window of time to get auto insurance before they instill another penalty upon you for lack of auto insurance. The quicker you resolve this issue, the better. You can take your proof of insurance card to the courthouse (or other location if it’s recommended) to show the judge, who will then lift the suspension of your driver’s license. If the suspension of your vehicle’s registration was part of your punishment, this will be lifted too. You can then reinstate your license (and registration) by paying a fee, and be prepared for this fee to around $100, if not more.
As you can see, this process is timely and can be stressful with all of the necessary contacting of auto insurance companies, waiting to get auto insurance and the proof that you have it, and then dealing again with the courts and fees it takes to get everything situated to how it needs to be to drive legally. When it is time to renew your auto insurance policy, do not procrastinate or allow the auto insurance company to automatically renew it for you. Do not be late in paying for your premium, whether it is done as monthly payments or at the beginning of the policy in full. If you have difficulties remembering to pay your bills on time, ask the auto insurance company if they have automatic billing programs, where they will bill your bank account directly without any work on your part.
Driving is more of a responsibility than some drivers realize. Carrying the right auto insurance at all times is part of that responsibility and should be taken seriously.To view more information on purchasing auto insurance without a driver license visit our Buy Auto Insurance without a Drivers license page.
