More often than not, bad driving behavior will get penalized. One of the penalties you can get slapped with is SR-22 insurance. SR-22s don’t come cheap — a monthly reminder and a mark of infamy as the state recognizes you as one of its most high-risk drivers.
Driving While Drunk, Stoned, or Medicated
A DUI is one of the fastest ways to get an SR-22. You’ll also get a suspended license, and you’ll be required to obtain a Breathalyzer for your vehicle. The state can require you to maintain your high-risk insurance payments for years at a time. Note that alcohol isn’t the only way to get charged with a DUI. Driving stoned on marijuana or impeded by medication will also merit a DUI charge.
Getting Caught Speeding a Little Too Often
Traffic cameras are everywhere, and instances of speeding rarely get unnoticed. Speeding once or twice will get you citations and fines, but three in a row in 6 months, will warrant stiffer penalties. Continually getting caught speeding establishes a pattern of reckless behavior and wanton disregard for speed limits, and the system will drop the hammer on you with an SR-22 requirement.
Disregarding Parking Tickets
Parking tickets are often overlooked as insignificant. These minor parking violations stay in the back of your mind until it’s time to renew your license plates, or the DMV shows up at your door. While parking violations are not moving violations and won’t usually impact your insurance premiums, unpaid parking tickets affect your credit score. Once you accumulate enough violations (10 or more), the state can suspend your license, and insurance companies can count the suspension as proof of irresponsible behavior.
Driving an Uninsured /Underinsured Vehicle
One way to get slapped with costly SR-22 insurance is not to pay insurance. Driving an uninsured vehicle will get your license suspended, and your vehicle’s registration can get canceled as well. Penalties will skyrocket if you cause an accident while driving, but most states would require an SR-22 for only driving uninsured.
Avoiding Child Support
While not necessarily driving-related, not paying child support counts as bad behavior. Four months of unpaid child support will usually warrant a suspended license. You can generally reverse the suspension by explaining your situation and working on a payment plan. However, if you are unwilling or unable to make the payments, you will need to apply for a restricted license that sometimes comes with an SR-22 requirement.
Going Fast and Furious
There are many reasons Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew are wanted fugitives, and their fast and furious driving is one of them. Speeding over 25 miles above the limit, weaving through traffic, disregarding stop signs, street racing, and drifting in city roads all count as reckless driving behavior. An SR-22 is the least of your worries (but you’ll be guaranteed to get one) as you’ll get slapped with multiple violations that could land you in jail.
Pushing your driving limits will only hike your insurance premiums. Drive properly and safe because getting away with a traffic violation is close to impossible.
