Reader’s Question:

My mother had my vehicle and her vehicle on her car insurance policy in Lawton Oklahoma. She just passed away so my question is how long do I have to change the insurance policy under my name?

George

Lawton, OK

Sorry for the loss of your mother. Since terms of auto insurance policies vary you will need to find out from your mother’s insurance broker or agent in Lawton OK how long you have to change over the car insurance policy and what steps to take to obtain an auto insurance policy for at least your car in your name.

Normally, a car insurance policy terminates upon the death of the policyholder, usually done by the request of the estate.

There are some certain general provisions that are required by state law, but policies can vary. It is essential in your situation to read through the car insurance policy issued to your mother. If you have more inquiries, contact your mother’s insurance agent or carrier for information and clarifications on what the process is now that your mother has passed away.

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:

I am just being released from prison and I do not have a car, but Oklahoma requires me to provide proof of insurance to get my driver’s license back. What is a non owners insurance policy? Can I get it here in Oklahoma City? and how much does is it?

Jude

Oklahoma City, OK

Generally, a non-owners auto insurance policy is one that may be written when an insured needs coverage only for his personal use of a vehicle not owned by him or a family member.

So if you need proof of insurance to obtain your Oklahoma driver’s license reinstated but you do not own a vehicle nor will you be living in a residence where there is an automobile in which you could place car insurance on, then a non-owners policy should be available to you to be purchased.

The vehicle owner’s insurance provider or an individual’s non-owner insurance policy will give the proper security verification form that one should show as proof of insurance in Oklahoma.

Reader’s Question:

I came over from France to spend several months of vacation in the Oklahoma. I do have a French drivers license which permits me to drive on Oklahoma but how can I get an auto insurance on a car that I borrowed from a friend in Oklahoma City?

Chris

Oklahoma City, OK

While your valid foreign license from France permits you to drive within Oklahoma, and other states within the US, many insurance providers will require a US license in order to get insurance on you or a car for you. While specialty insurance carriers may permit you to get car insurance with your French license, the insurance companies would require that you get a US license within thirty days.

Since you are borrowing a vehicle from a friend while on vacation in Oklahoma City, you may see if your friend’s insurance will permit you to be covered under their current insurance policy or if you can be added as a driver during the time that you are in OK. If this is possible it would likely be the best way in which to get insurance coverage for you on your friend’s car.

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:

Does the state of Oklahoma requires that you have to have car insurance even though you don’t own a car?

Lester

Tulsa, OK

You do not necessarily need to have car insurance just because you have an Oklahoma driver’s license. There is no reason that insurance is needed just to get an OK driver’s license. Therefore if you have one for purposes of identification or just to have in case you even purchase a car then you would not need auto insurance.

If you do not have your own car but do drive other people’s cars in Oklahoma then you will need to make sure you would be covered if in an accident and be able to show proof of financial responsibility (an insurance card) if asked by police officers. If you do not own a car nor live in a household with cars in which you could be placed on the insurance policy of then you may want to consider getting a non-owner’s policy.

Basically a non-owner’s policy is a liability policy that would be secondary to the auto owner’s primary insurance policy if you were to cause an accident. A non-owner’s policy would be under your name and be proof of insurance if you needed to show an insurance card under your name.

Reader’s Question:

Can you tell me the difference between an SR22 and the regular car insurance? I thought an SR22 was a type of penalty for offenses? Is this right?

Julia

Tulsa, OK

An SR-22 car insurance itself is not necessarily anything special in the way that an insurance policy covers the car. The filing of the certificate for this car insurance policy is being required or mandated to by the court or Department of Motor Vehicle is what can set it apart from plain old car insurance policies that an average car owner buys.

In most states an SR22 is more than just a normal car insurance. For instance in Oklahoma the SR-22 includes bodily injury liability insurance of $25,000 for injury or death of one person up $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage per accident.

Yes, normally an SR-22 is required of a person when he or she has been in an accident or convicted of a moving violation and was unable to show the proper financial responsibility.

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.