Georgia SR22 Auto Insurance Tips For Lower Rates
As I addressed in the previous post, an SR22 form is something that needs to be filed by your auto insurance company with the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles after you have committed a drunk driving offense or some other offense that ends you with a suspended license. Now that you know what insurance SR22 filing is, though, how do you go about getting it? It might be a little difficult for you, but it can be rather easily explained.
- Contact.
Get your insurance company on the line and talk with your agent. Tell them you have a suspended license and inquire if they can help you with getting an SR22 form set up so that you can restore your driving privileges.
This is where you might run into some hang ups. Just because you need SR22 insurance, doesn’t mean that your insurance company is going to provide you with it. You may find your renewal of insurance denied if you are at the end of your six month period, or you’ll see your insurance policy outright canceled. Unfortunately, if it’s going to happen you can’t avoid it, but you can start looking at other Georgia auto insurance companies and set yourself up with a new company.
- Get a new quote.
Once you are required to file SR22 insurance with your insurance company, you are no longer the same customer as before. Now that you are part of a higher risk group, you will need a new quote appropriate to your rating, and that is only if your Duluth GA automotive insurance company decides to keep you on board.
You have the best chance at getting a good rate and staying with your insurance company if you had a good track record with them in the first place. Many preferred and long time customers get DUI convictions and don’t see their insurance rates go up even a dollar.
- Decide on your coverage.
As when you get any car insurance policy, you will need to choose your coverage. Collision will be through the roof if you have to file SR22, so avoid it unless you’re still purchasing your car and thus have no choice.
insurance law only requires that you get the minimum liability coverage for your SR22 policy, so unless you have no other option, I suggest you go with that. SR22 filing.
Once you have made your down payment or paid your first premium bill, you will need to get your SR22 form. Your insurance company will provide you with this, and every one has its own way. With some, you’ll be able to access it online, and with others you’ll have to wait for it in the mail. Once it arrives, fill it out and turn it in to the DMV.
Simple Ways To Lower Auto Insurance Rates In Georgia
Reader question:
I get so mixed up with my auto insurance. I have so many bills to pay each month and I just don’t have time to figure out how to lower my premium. What can I do?
Jack in Atlanta Georgia
Thank you for asking, Jack.
You know, there is actually a way that you can kill two bird with one stone, and lower the stress of multiple bills while also lowering your auto insurance premium. This is pretty simple to do, and might take a few minutes of your time, but it will be extremely valuable in your future.
The key to a cheap, stress less, Atlanta Georgia auto insurance rate is to
- Combine, combine, combine!
The first thing you need to do, Jack, if look at each of the insurance companies that you are with, not just your auto insurance company. What kind of insurance do they offer? Many companies will offer life, home owner’s, and auto insurance, while some will only offer one kind of insurance. If you have the latter type holding your policies, then you need to ditch them and find a company that offers more.
Once you have decided on a good auto insurance company that also offers other types of insurance, you should buy all of your insurance policies through them. Not only will you essentially consolidate your insurance bills, making them easier to keep track of, but you will also lower your premium through the multiple policy discount that most companies offer.
- Join, join, join!
You don’t have to go it alone on your insurance premium if you have another choice. If you have a fiancée, why not combine your policies into one insurance policy? Same with a wife, or a roommate, or even a good friend. By adding someone else to your policy, you can save a lot of money on your auto insurance premium, especially if that person is lower risk than you are.
Raise your deductible amount to $1,000. If you are a safe driver and have not had any accidents or claims in the last 5 years raising your deductible could be a super easy way to lower your annual premium. Remember, you only pay the deductible amount when you file a claim with your insurance company and they pay that claim.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
What Determines Your Auto Insurance Rate in Georgia?
Reader question:
How do car insurance companies determine my auto insurance rate here in Georgia?
Paul
Thank you for your question, Paul.
There are so many factors that go into a single Georgia auto insurance quote, that I can’t even begin to address them all in a single post. A few decades ago, the factors could be counted on the fingers of one hand, but each year the process grows more complex. What I can do, though, is tell you about one thing that auto insurance companies look at to determine your insurance rates.
- Your CLUE report.
The majority of policy holders don’t have anything on their CLUE report, and this is mostly because the information only remains there for ten years. Unlike credit, which most of society uses constantly, the average insurance claim is filed only every half a decade or so.
The CLUE report is not connected to you yourself, but, much like your auto insurance policy, is connected to your vehicle. The CLUE report will have information on any past claims and repairs, and when you get a new car you can purchase a copy of your CLUE report from ChoicePoint. Since it does affect your insurance premium, it is probably a good idea to buy a CLUE report before you finalize the purchase of your car.
Like a credit report, sometimes CLUE reports contain mistakes. If you see one, you should contact ChoicePoint to have the offending note removed. This takes less than a month in the majority of cases. Unlike a credit report, though, if you have some information that would make your CLUE report look better, such as the installment of an anti theft device, then you can have that added to the report, making your auto insurance rates go down.
- Your CLUE report and your GA auto insurance company.
Once you are already with a company, they will almost never check your CLUE report again. Normally, these reports are looked at when you are getting a policy with a new insurance company.
The CLUE report will not be used the same across the board by every insurance company, but the number of claims you have on it will certainly determine whether your rate goes up or down.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Atlanta Georgia SR22 and Assigned Risk Auto Insurance
Reader question:
I have tried everything, and I can’t find any Atlanta auto insurance company to insure me with an SR22 form. I really need to drive to get to work, but I don’t have a license! I can only beg rides off of people for so long. Help!
Graciela
Atlanta Georgia
You’ll have to look a little harder, Graciela.
SR22 insurance is a type of form that you are required to file through your Atlanta insurance company, for those who are new to the game, and it is only required after you have had your license suspended for some reason–such as drunk driving, speeding, or multiple traffic offenses. Having to file an SR22 form immediately pushes you into a higher risk group, which makes insurance companies more reluctant to insure you. Some people with great records and a long history driving and insured with a certain company can weather the blow of an SR22 filing requirement, but for the rest of us being required to get an insurance policy with the SR22 attachment can be a struggle.
However, Atlanta is a big city and there are certainly options, so the fact that you haven’t found something means that you are either too picky, or you aren’t looking in the right places.
- There are companies that will serve you.
Most people think that insurance companies are only interested in people with impeccable driving records, but that is not true. While some companies prefer this sort of driver, there are many of high risk specific companies who are happy to insure even the worst of the worst. Some of the bigger companies that operate nationwide, such as Progressive Insurance, are among these companies. If you can’t get an SR22 policy with a regular insurance company, then you need to start looking for high risk companies.
- Even if there aren’t…
Most of the time you will be able to find a insurance company that will be happy to insure you for the price of a mansion’s down payment, even with SR22 filing. However, in some cases nothing can be found, and in such cases it is necessary to turn to the state to be your guide.
If you can’t find a policy on the open market, then you will have to join the company high risk pool. This is a pool which high risk drivers join, and are then assigned by the state to participating companies. All companies that are licensed to sell insurance are required to participate, so you might find yourself with the very insurance company that denied your policy request in the first place.
The catch about assigned risk insurance, though, is that it is even more expensive than SR22 insurance from a high risk company. This should be a last resort.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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