If you increase your deductible amount let’s say from $200 to $1000, you can lower the cost of your comprehensive coverage by 15 to 30 percent. So make sure you do that if you are serious in getting lower auto insurance. Here’s a video I found that will explain to you what a deductible is and how it works:

I no longer need an SR22 for my auto insurance policy here in Houston. How do I remove it?

Howard

Houston Texas

An SR22 is liability insurance which requires your insurer to certify insurance coverage to the Texas Department of Public Safety. It is also the responsibility of the insurer to inform the DPS if the policy has been canceled or lapsed.

If you no longer required to carry an SR22 insurance, you may be able to have it removed from your policy by contacting your car insurance company. An SR-26 is a form that is filed by the insurer to remove the SR-22. Certain insurers may require you to provide paperwork from the DPS that this coverage may be removed before filing the SR-26.

This SR-26 is a certificate processed by an insurer to inform the DPS that the SR-22 car insurance provided by the company has already been canceled. The SR26 filing may lead to drivers license suspension if the person’s driving record shows that the SR22 (insurance certificate) is still needed during the time the SR26 is issued. For this reason you will need to ensure the SR22 is no longer demanded by the state of Texas. The department and the insurance company representative may be able to give you more information on how to remove SR22 from your car insurance policy.

What is an SR22 Filing and how does it work?

Mike

Houston Texas

If the Texas Department of Public Safety advised you that you are required to get SR22 insurance after a serious offense then you will need it to be filed by your insurance provider. An SR22 is a certificate of insurance required by law that presents to the Texas DPS evidence of insurance for the future. SR22 insurance is liability insurance which involves the insurers to certify that you have the minimum coverage, and the insurer needs to inform Texas DPS whenever the insurance plan is canceled, terminated or lapses.

Once the Texas DPS obtains notice that a certain individual has terminated their insurance coverage while they are sill required to maintain proof of insurance with the Texas DPS, the drivers license will be suspended. SR22 insurance (form SR-22) or Financial Responsibility Certificate must be kept for 2 years from date of conviction.

Aside from the required filing, a reinstatement fee is also needed with the SR22 insurance. Within the 2-year period, if the DPS obtains notice from the insurer that insurance policy has been canceled, your drivers license will be suspended.

You should ask your insurance company if they do the filing for you. Expect an increase in your car insurance once the insurer sees a serious traffic violation on your driving record.

I live in Houston and I would like to know if I will be required to obtain an SR22 if I get caught driving without insurance? What are the penalties?

Jim

Houston Texas

Yes, typically if you’ve been found guilty of operating a vehicle without insurance in Houston for the 2nd time your drivers license is going to be suspended and to reinstate it you’ll be mandated to acquire and hold an SR22 insurance certificate for two years after the date of your conviction.

The state of Texas mandates individuals who operate a vehicle in Texas to have the ability to pay for any vehicle accidents they cause. The majority of motorists accomplish this by purchasing liability car insurance.

The minimum required liability insurance coverage is 25/50/25. These limits mean $25,000 for every wounded person, up to a total of $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.

You can get serious legal fees and penalties for breaking the state’s financial responsibility laws. If this is your first conviction for driving without insurance, you will pay a fine between $175 and $350. Subsequent convictions you could end up paying fines of $350 to $1,000, driver’s license suspension, and impound of your car.

To restore your driver’s license from suspension status because of operating a vehicle without car insurance, you will need to pay a reinstatement fee and you will have to acquire proof of insurance (form SR-22) from an insurer and send it to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). In Houston, the SR22 insurance certificate is going to be required for two years from the date of conviction.

This is my first time to buy car insurance? How much should I be expecting? Please help.

Morgan

Houston, TX

When it is your first time purchasing car insurance you need to educate yourself with requirements in Houston Texas and the the types of coverage you need.

Rating factors such as the amount of time you have been licensed will likely affect your car insurance quotes. For instance, normally a person that is an inexperienced driver and is purchasing car insurance for the first time will pay more than a long time experienced licensed driver that has been under other people’s insurance policies and is now purchasing their own car insurance policy.

Generally though, the average annual cost, according to the Insurance Information Institute for car insurance premiums nationwide in 2007 was estimated at $847 per insurance policy. Thus a new, inexperienced driver like you may expect to pay about twice the average. Good thing is that there is no limit to the number of free quotes you can get.

My grandson was riding his dirt bike on a public road and received a violation for no insurance in Houston. Can we even obtain insurance on a dirt bike? Will the coverage we have on our current cars meet the insurance requirement?

Taylor

Houston, TX

You can contact your car insurance agent in Houston to check if your current vehicle insurance policy will cover the dirt bike and therefore can be used in court as proof of insurance but it is unlikely that it will cover the bike.

Your car insurance policy usually covers only the cars listed and the company is aware of. You would need a separate policy for this type of motor vehicle to be covered. If your car insurance does not cover the dirt bike then you could not take this insurance policy into court as proof of insurance. The court is looking to see that if your grandson had caused damage to anyone or anything while driving the dirt bike on public roads that there was insurance coverage, at least state minimum liability insurance in place that would have covered the accident.

You or your grandson will need to call the court listed on his violation to find out what the penalties are for driving his dirt bike on public roads and without insurance. You may see if buying insurance for the bike now would help his case in any way.

This car insurance agent called up my home number offering some pretty unbelievably cheap car insurance rates. I expressed interest, but I suspect it’s a scam. What do I do? He said I might be able to get coverage for $39 a month?

Jackson

Houston, TX

Indeed, the agent from that particular company offering $39 car insurance rates is, indeed, suspicious. But don’t call the police just yet. Here are some ways to protect yourself and verify if the agent is legit or not:

• Don’t give information – don’t give out bank accounts or credit card numbers over the phone or on the internet, whether you think the agent’s suspicious or not, not until everything checks out with the agent.

• Check with the Texas Department of Insurance – if a company’s licensed with the TDI, it’s a safe bet that they’re legit. Do not ever, ever sign up with an insurance company that’s not licensed in the TDI. Also, be very careful when it comes to the exact name of a company: “Insurance Company X, Inc.” is a different corporate entity than “Insurance Company X.”

• Check with the insurance company – even if the company is licensed with the TDI, the ‘agent’ that’s calling you may be bogus. Get the full name of the agent, get the contact details of the company from the TDI and give them a call or send them an e-mail.

True, it’s not good to pass up on a good deal, but it’s even worse to fall prey to fraudulent insurance or scams. These three steps by themselves won’t do much apparent good, but they’re the baby steps for you to protect yourself from harm. Use them well.

With that said, you MIGHT be able to get $39 a month coverage, but it will be basic liability and I would bet you have to have perfect credit and no claims history on your record. Then again, just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you will get the protection you really need, and the real reason why you want insurance in the first place.

I recently got a speeding ticket in Chicago but I live in Houston Texas. Will this affect my car insurance rate in Texas?

Frank

Houston Texas

Texas and Illinois are both members of the Drivers License Compact, that means your speeding violation in Chicago will be reported back to your home state in Texas.

The Texas Department of Public Safety states that they will place out of state violations on your Texas driving record.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, car insurance rates offered in TX needs to be reasonable, adequate, not excessive to the risks for which they apply, and not unfairly discriminatory. Texas car insurance carriers set their own rating system and then file them with TDI to check.

The speeding violation you received in Chicago will be put on your Texas driving record thus your insurance carrier will see it the next time they check your Motor Vehicle Record. If you want to know if the speeding ticket will affect your Texas Car insurance rates you can speak with your car insurance agent about their rating system.

I’m not asked to get SR22 insurance here in Houston and I don’t intend to be. But I’m just curious that if SR22 is costly, is it impossible for a driver to get affordable insurance rates?

Anthony

Houston, TX

As a driver in Houston, SR22 insurance is one type of document that you may not want to get. It is a form of certification from a car insurance company to a state’s DMV or Department of Motor Vehicles. Drivers who have been caught for traffic violations like DUI or reckless driving need to have SR22 insurance in order to get their driver’s licenses back. But SR22 insurance rates are very costly so if you are asked to get SR22 insurance, you should get it from a specialized insurance firm.

Car insurance companies regard those who have SR22 insurance as high risk drivers. Because they are high risk, those drivers are subjected to high car insurance premiums to offset the extra risk involved.

People needing SR22 are:

DUI-DWI

OWI (operating while intoxicated by drugs)

License suspension – excessive traffic tickets – driving without a license

Another thing that is worth mentioning is that not all car insurance companies issue SR22 insurance. Car insurance companies which give this kind of insurance, however, are giving very expensive insurance rates.

But this is not to say that it is impossible to get affordable SR22 insurance. Drivers who want to get cheaper rates should also present a good credit history. Creditworthiness is something that insurance companies look into when preparing SR22 requests, so check your credit score before you get a quote.

I’ve been shopping for car insurance in Houston and I can’t help but notice that most car insurance policies here are more expensive than anywhere in Texas. Is that safe to assume?

Tracy

Houston, TX

For the most part, car insurance in Houston is more expensive anywhere in Texas. The number of car accidents has risen in this part of Texas for the past several years, and this has led to many car insurers to jack up their prices to cover the rise of insured car accidents, fraud and theft.

But the good news is that you can still get cheap car insurance in Houston despite the increase in the rates of car insurance policies. The key is to shop as hard as you can. You might not be spending enough time asking around and shopping for the best insurance policy because many discounts are available to you if you know what to ask for.

Some popular discounts for auto insurance are:

1. Good grade students

2. Good credit score and credit history – many carriers will run a credit check on you

3. No claims history – had not made a claim in the last 7 years

4. Credit union affiliations – even fraternal or club organizations offer some discounts – Rotary International for example

5. Combine other lines of coverage together like home and auto

6. Military discounts – both active, reserve and retired

7. Government employees – Geico Stands for Government Employee Insurance Company

8. Multi vehicle discounts

9. Buying online – Progressive for example gives a discount if you buy online rather than from an agent

10. Raising your deductible – although not a “discount” the higher the deductible amount the lower your rates will be

When applying for car insurance, make sure that your vehicle is secured. Install security devices in it such as alarm system, brake system, and immobilizers. You will maximize the chances of your car being rated as low risk, and consequently earning you a lower car insurance.