A: When your driver’s license is suspended in Texas, here are certain consequences in the form of higher car insurance requirements which you must hold for two years after the date of your license’s first suspension. This special requirement is called an SR22 certificate or bond. It must be filed by your car insurance company with the Texas DPS if you want to have your driver’s license’s reinstated.

SR22 car insurance is costly, and although you don’t have to have more coverage than usual, you are required to keep paying on it and will be caught immediately if you fail to continue being insured. If you don’t pay your premium on time, your coverage will be canceled and your driver’s license suspended (again) along with it.

As for the required minimum car insurance for an SR22 insurance policy in Houston according to Texas DPS.

$75,000 total coverage
$40,000 bodily injury per occurrence / $20,000 per person
$15,000 property damage coverage

One of the best ways to lower your rates on any kind of car insurance is to raise your deductible amount to the highest level you can. So if you have a $1,000 deductible and you are a safe claim free driver the last few years you could save a lot of money.

You only pay the deductible amount when you have a claim, and the claim is paid by YOUR carrier.

A: It will depend on what you do with your car as to whether or not you should get commercial auto insurance. Many people who are self employed use their vehicle for business reasons, but they also use it to go to the movies or go on vacation, among other things.

If you use your car for both business reasons and for personal reasons, then a commercial auto insurance policy is not really necessary. While you may prefer to have a commercial policy for the extra protection, since you have dual purposes for your car it may only bring you a price increase.

It’s recommended that you to get a commercial auto insurance policy if you do a lot of driving for your business. For example, if you transport clients, are a taxi driver, a delivery person, and so on. It would also be good for you to get a commercial policy if you go on a lot of business trips in your car. Sometimes, if you are using your car for business and get into an accident, your car insurance company won’t cover the damages because that purpose wasn’t disclosed.

A: If you want a cheap SR22 auto insurance, then you need to start shopping around regularly to make sure you are with the best car insurance company. Many Americans choose not to do this, whether out of ignorance or laziness, and as a result the average policy holder in this country pays four hundred dollars more than necessary on their car insurance coverage.

In order to maintain a cheaper rate, you need to start shopping around at certain times. A minimum amount of shopping and comparing of car insurance companies you should be doing is once every year. I prefer to do it every time my policy is renewed. My policy is renewing this month, so I looked around, and while my company is the best, if I had gotten with another company I would be paying a hundred and fifty more a month. Comparing is worth it.

Other than that, the other times you should be shopping around are when something important in your life has changed. If you recently had a change of address, got married, or turned 25, for example.

Ask for discounts, you never know what you might be able to get and how much you can save by asking. Some popular discounts can be given for (safe NON high risk drivers, but worth asking) :

1. Military personnel

2. Good grade students

3. Union membership and bank member affiliations

4. Safe drivers with no claims in last 7 years

5. Defensive driving school attendance

6. Clean credit history – used by many carriers to determine payment risk

Also you want to raise your deductible amount to the highest level you feel comfortable with. You only have to pay this amount when and if you have a claim and your carrier pays that claim. So, if you have been claim free the past few years you could save a lot of money in the long run.

Now I must say that you are trying to find cheap rates on insurance for RISKY drivers, this is not something that is widely mentioned on TV commercials for auto insurance companies. They really do NOT want your business, so you can’t be too choosy or picky as to who you want to insure you or the rates they give you. It’s hard, but not impossible to do….just keep asking, calling and getting quotes.

A: Car insurance doesn’t always fall on the shoulders of the car owner as a responsibility, and so in many cases someone will need to get non owner policy when they don’t own a car but drive someone else’s. Even though most of the time if you drive another person’s car, their insurance will cover you, you have the burden of proof that you are protected on the road when you go to get your driver’s license reinstated.

You may even own your own vehicle, but need a non owner insurance for the car your drive at work. Once you get a non owner policy, your rates will go up somewhat. Non owner policies are priced higher because the car in the equation is an unknown quantity. You could be driving a Porsche or a Honda, the car insurance company doesn’t know. You are also only able to get liability coverage. In many cases you can still get a discount, so ask and see what is available to you.

Of course you mentioned SR22, which is probably for a DUI or suspended license charge? You will have a much harder time finding good rates with that! You are like a sub-prime home loan…nobody wants to insure you, so you will have to call around but I bet you will only find a handful of carriers that are willing to take you…sorry to say.

I mention these a lot on this site, but will share them again. These are just a few of the most popular discounts.

1. Military personnel both active and retired

2. Good grade students – even just being a college student in some cases will give a discount

3. Union membership and bank member affiliations

4. Safe drivers with no claims in last 7 years

5. Defensive driving school attendance – although this doesn’t seem to help much anymore, but might be worth your time and expense

6. Clean credit history – used by many carriers to determine payment risk and payment timeliness

A: There are a few reasons why your  SR22 bond is going to be more expensive than any other kind of car insurance bond. One of the main reasons for this will be the risk involved. Since all of the premium money from policy holders go into a pool from which the money to pay damages is drawn, the policy holders who are more likely to make money from that pool have to pay in more. It’s only fair. Car insurance companies rate people based on their risk, and if you have certain qualities which have proven to be risky in other policy holders, then you will pay higher rates, even if you never end up filing a car insurance claim.

One other thing could simply be that their prices are going up, period. When more people file claims, car insurance companies have to raise their prices, and you feel his effect on your  SR22 bond. If there is a lot of fraud going on as well, it will make everybody pay more.

BUT, the main reason why you find prices so much higher is because of the SR22, which is probably due to a DUI conviction or license suspension?? I’m sorry to tell you but you are now not really wanted by many carriers as they see you as a huge risk to them.

The only thing that might really help your premium is to carry a high deductible amount, like $1,000 if you are allowed to do that. That can reduce your premiums…somewhat in your case. Worth a shot anyway.