Reader’s Question:

I have a DUI on my driving record and I would like to know if there is anything that I can do to get a cheap car insurance in Lawton, Oklahoma?

Duncan

Lawton, OK

With a major violations such as DUI on your driving record, you may not be able to get auto insurance with a standard insurance company.

Non-standard companies however typically specialize in the higher risk drivers, meaning those with major offense such as a DUI on their driving history or have many violations on their driving history, and may be the better insurance companies to get car insurance quotes from.

The best way to get the cheapest insurance rates after conviction of DUI is to shop around. Make certain to ask for any insurance discounts that are available to you. This can be for anti-theft devices, safety features on your vehicle, driver improvement or traffic class, etc. Discounts vary from one insurance carrier to another so ask what ones are available to check if you can lower your car insurance rates in Lawton, OK by applying the most discounts to your car insurance policy.

Tags: Car insurance discounts, car insurance quotes, car insurance rate, DUI

Reader’s Question:

My drivers license has been suspended for 2 years due to a DWI in New Jersey. Do I need car insurance even if I do not use it? I live in Midwest City Oklahoma?

Joan

Midwest City, OK

You as a motorist may not need car insurance since you will be unable to operate during your two year license suspension for the DWI. If you own a vehicle though and want to maintain registration on it during the time period your drivers license are suspended, the car will need to have car insurance on it in Midwest City, OK.

If there is another person that is also on the registration on the car or is a co-owner than they may be able to carry the insurance on the car and drive you around while you are unable to operate a vehicle.

So if you are not driving but your want somebody to drive you around in your vehicle, it will need to have auto insurance on it. There are insurance providers that will permit someone else to insure your car, even if that person has not insurable interest in the car.

Tags: auto insurance, automobile, DWI insurance

Reader’s Question:

My daughter got involved in an accident. Her monthly payment is due on the first of the month. She no longer has her vehicle as it had to be towed and it could not be driven. I believed it has been totaled but there is no final call. Do I pay her payment or terminate the insurance until she gets a new vehicle or her car is fixed? We live in Edmond OK.

May

Edmond, OK

In this kind of situation, I suggest that you keep the coverage in force until the claim has been settled, but you must also verify this decision with your insurance company in Edmond Oklahoma.

After a claim, usually it is cheaper to wait and replace the coverage on a car than it is to cancel (or allow it to cancel for non-payment) and then start a new auto insurance policy.

Tags: auto insurance, auto insurance claims, cheap auto insurance

Reader’s Question:

In Oklahoma, How long does a DUI stay on your driving record?

George

Oklahoma City, OK

The OK Department of Public Safety (DPS) states that some collisions, any Oklahoma court conviction for a moving violation, or any out-of-state court infraction will be placed on your driving record. Your entire driv­ing history will be maintained by the Department and will be transferred if you apply for a license in a different state.

According to the Oklahoma driver’s manual the consequences of arrest and infraction for a DUI will stay on a driver’s record. If you are arrested for driving a motorcycle or motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, the conviction and penalties can affect you for the rest of your life. So it would appear that the DUI permanently stays on your Oklahoma driving record.

You may speak with the OK DPS to verify if there if a DUI is ever expunged from a person’s driving record of if it stays there for the lifetime of the motorist.

Reader’s Question:

How long does an car claim stay on record in Oklahoma?

Maria

Oklahoma City, OK

A car insurance claim goes on your claims history and insurance but is not necessarily put onto a record that the Oklahoma state keeps. Your collision itself will likely be put on your driving history though by the OK Department of Public Safety (DPS).

The Oklahoma DPS will release a motorist’s driving record for a three year period so the accident will be listed for at least that long. If you received a citation for a moving violation due to your part in an accident, that infraction will stay on your OK driver’s record for five years.

As for the claims history, usually that is looked up by the insurance provider using their own internal database or a CLUE information exchange. Through the CLUE personal car claims report an insurance carrier can receive a person’s five year history of car insurance losses.

Reader’s Question:

I was convicted in OH when I was only 15 then for driving without a license. I am now 18 and have been living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the past two years. When went to take the driver’s written examination I was told I was ineligible because the state of Ohio suspended my license and requiring me to have an SR22 form. I dont understand because I never had a license before.

Lionel

Oklahoma City, OK

It seems like you were cited for driving without a license and without auto insurance when you were still in OH. Even though you were a minor, without a driver’s license, Ohio could have started a driving record for you already and included these infraction. It is indeed possible to obtain points and citations already listed on your MVR before you even begin to have a license.

If you took care of your OH ticket previously by means like going to court then you should contact the OH Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to straighten this out. If you ignored this citation or moved to Oklahoma before your penalties were straighten out you need to take care of them now. You may contact Ohio’s BMV to know how exactly to get your license out of suspension, so that you can get an OK license.

Q: Can my credit rating affect my Oklahoma SR22 rates? Isn’t that illegal?

A: A majority of Oklahoma SR22 car insurance companies will look at your credit report when rating your policy for the price, in order to get the insurance risk score, which will determine whether you have low rates or high rates. You might get a low insurance risk score if you fail to pay your debts or if you make uneven or late payments, because this shows you are unreliable and also more likely to file a car insurance claim with your company.

Some people may think the practice of using credit reports in rating Oklahoma SR22 policies is unfair and should be illegal, but as of right now it’s legal everywhere you go in the United States. In some areas, there are groups which are trying to challenge the use of credit reports in car insurance rating, saying that it is discriminatory to minorities and lower income people, although so far they have been unsuccessful.

For the moment, Oklahoma SR22 car insurance companies will be using your credit report to determine your premium, so it would be a good idea to improve it as much as you can.

Q: I have been a good driver, except for my new Broken Arrow OK SR22 auto insurance requirement, and now my rates are so high! Why is that?

A: Car insurance companies will jump on almost any excuse to raise your rates, and when you start filing a Broken Arrow SR22 form it is the perfect time for a nice, high raise. Companies can do this because, by having to get an SR22 filed, your risk has gone up. SR22s are associated with drunk driving and thus, bad driving, so you are expected to file more claims, even if you have no filed many in the past.

You have to pay more to your car insurance company so that the people who are less likely than everybody else to file a car insurance claim can pay in less. So your Broken Arrow SR22 ends up costing more.

Other reasons are out there for why rates may rise. If more people file claims one year than another, rates will rise. Fraud is also a big problem, one of the biggest, in fact, when it comes to rising rates. However, whenever your rates go up, always make sure you check out other companies.

Q: I’m a college student in Edmond, Oklahoma, and I’m told I have to get an Edmond SR22 policy if I want my license to be reinstated. I’ve gotten a few quotes, though, and it’s insanely expensive! How am I supposed to afford that?

A: When you are getting an Edmond SR22 policy, and especially when you don’t have a lot of exrta money to throw around, you would do well by yourself to do some research before you start geing quotes. Make sure the companies you are looking at the quotes from have plenty of discounts, so that even if it comes to high at first you can do something to get a better deal. I’ll give you a couple of examples to calm your mind.

One of the first things you’re going to want on your Edmond SR22 policy is a good student discount. Now, hopefully you’ve been hitting the books, because you can only get this discount if you make good grades, a 3.5 GPA or a B average, it changes with the company.

Another thing you might be able to consider is a discount which will be given to you if, instead of getting an Edmond SR22, you get on your parent’s car insurance policy back home and leave your car here as well. Only works if your parents live a hundred miles or more away from where you attend school.

Q: If I should shop around for car insurance, when should I do that? How do you know when your company is no longer the best?

A: Honestly, you can’t know, and that’s why you have to keep on your feet and keep looking for the right Enid SR22 company during cerain times. Not every week, but at certain benchmarks. For example, if your current car insurance company cancels your SR22 policy, then you’ll have to comparison shop to find a new company so that your license doesn’t get suspended.

On a more regular basis, even if everything is going fine, then you should be getting quotes from other companies a least one time every year, although I think you should do it whenever your car insurance policy is renewed, even if that’s only every six months.

When something big happens in your life, it’s often a good idea to take a look at car insurance quotes. You’d be surprised a what all could affect your score, from marriage to an improvement in your credit score.