Hi. I’m between policies, I got hit by a car that was insured. Is it possible to charge my medical expenses and the repair of my car? This happened in Davenport, Iowa.

Dolores

Davenport, IA

What a lucky lady! You know what, Dolores, you should thank your stars you’re from Davenport, Iowa. Had you come from other states, you would have had a bigger problem. So, right now your one and only problem is if it is possible for the driver at fault who is fortunately insured to cover all your medical expenses and all the costs that the repair of the damages to your car will incur? That is an interesting question. First, I know that your apprehension is that the insurance policy of the driver that hit your car will not cover all your expenses because you are not insured yourself. Well, because you’re from Iowa, the state’s law protects you because it is not mandatory in Iowa to have a vehicular insurance. However,

I really hope you have liability coverage for bodily injuries and property damages because that’s the only requirement that the state of Iowa asks of its residents. As a matter of fact, even if it appears that you are at the losing end because of the absence of an insurance at the time of this accident, you sure can claim liability from the offending driver’s insurance policy because that’s how insurance works in general.

I just want to know what is an sr22? Why does it have to be carried?

Joe

Thank you for asking Joe.

SR-22 or financial responsibility certificate is proof that you have certain types of insurance, based upon the financial responsibility laws of your state and what they are mandating you to carry.

The reasons that an SR22 can be required differently from state to state. Generally, an Sr-22 is required when insurance policy is provided to a person who was involved accident or was convicted of a moving violation and was unable to show financial responsibility. Each state has different variations of this form and the insurance requirements.

The following SR-22s are associated with the following offenses in many states

* DUI or DWI or any serious moving violation
* At-fault accidents while driving without insurance
* Repeat traffic offenses or getting too many tickets in a short time period
* License suspension or revoked license

An SR-22 or financial responsibility certificate can and is mandated in many states as part of the reinstatement process after you have had your driver’s license suspended, revoked, canceled or lapsed. This can include suspension for being a habitual offender of moving violations or because of being behind in child support payments; it all depends on your specific state’s laws.

Goodluck!

MariCAR