I just bought a car here in Washington State. What’s my grace period for getting car insurance to avoid getting a penalty?

Jenny

Seattle WA

There’s no grace period for a liability coverage according to the Insurance Commissioner of Washington state. Also, the grace period to adding another vehicle to your insurance policy would be different from one company to another. It is important then to check with your insurer the maximum time required to file or add your newly bought vehicle to your existing policy. Most dealers would often require a physical damage coverage before it leaves the dealership.

If you’re replacing an old car to your policy, most insurers would extend that existing policy to your new car. If you’re adding a new car to your policy, you could inquire whether they would extend your existing policy for a certain amount of time or should you add the new vehicle to your policy with the required coverage.

If you’re just about to get an insurance policy on your car, then it is more practical to give your preferred auto insurance company an update on the type of car you’re planning to buy before it actually leaves the dealership. Request your dealership a fax of the car information to work with your insurer the practical coverage to apply.

I’m just curious, what are the reasons for me to get SR22 insurance coverage in Washington?

Issa

Seattle, WA

I’m glad you asked. We believe its important for everyone who operates a car to know what actions or reasons would require them to file for an SR22. Just by being aware of these reasons would already increase your chances of being more conscious about your driving, and hopefully prevent you from having to get your license suspended and file an SR22 for reinstatement in the future. Here are the common reasons why you may be asked to file an SR22 form:

1. DUI (Driving Under the Influence) or DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) arrests and convictions.
2. Driving with an expired/ invalid drivers license.
3. Driving without adequate auto insurance coverage.
4. Accumulating too many driving violations or citations such as speeding, reckless driving etc. and getting too many points against your license within a relatively short-period of time, normally one year.
5. Being at-fault in causing any number of major car accidents and being unable to show car insurance coverage afterwards.
6. Drivers with poor driving records, or with very risky driving behaviors.

It is also good to note that you may be required to pay certain penalties and fees to get your license back. It may also take up to 30 days for your SR22 to get processed and submitted to your state Department of Motor Vehicles Office. You would also need to maintain full and continuous SR22 insurance coverage for the next couple of years to avoid further penalties.

One of the best ways to get SR22 insurance coverage in Washington is to shop for one on the Web! We have a free insurance search tool that can help you find and compare affordable SR22 insurance quotes and policies available and that best fits your SR22 insurance needs.

With the current economic situation, we are fine tuning our budget. What can we do to lower our auto insurance premiums and find the most affordable car insurance available?

Jonas

East Seattle WA

Hi Jonas,

Thanks for your inquiry about affordable car insurance. You might be surprised that there are ways to lower your cost and find affordable car insurance. We always recommend that all insurance policies be reviewed annually. This not only serves as a good way to refresh your mind about your coverage but to make sure the riders are appropriate and that the policy is tailored to your needs. Suiting the policy to your budget is part of finding affordable car insurance.

Check your driving record to make sure it is accurate. If your have a good record, you may be entitled to a premium discount. Additionally, your policy will be more affordable car insurance if you select an annual coverage instead of a shorter term policy.

Carriers in the East Seattle area will also make your policy more affordable car insurance if you add anti-theft devices to your vehicles. To make your coverage more affordable car insurance, you may want to consider increasing your deductible.

We recommend the easiest way to find more affordable car insurance is to complete the auto insurance inquiry form on this site. You will then receive multiple proposals for affordable car insurance, which you can review at home before finalizing your decision.

If a pedestrian gets hit by a vehicle in Shoreline Washington, which car insurance is primary?

George

Shoreline, WA

If the automobile driver was at fault in the accident in Shoreline Washington and had personal injury protection (PIP) normally this would be primary and would extend to the pedestrian they caused injury to. The bodily injury liability coverages of the driver would be secondary.

The Washington State law does not require drivers to have personal injury protection coverage, but an insurance carrier must offer it to policyholders.

If you as a pedestrian is is at fault due to dodging into traffic in front of a vehicle, jaywalking or or some other negligent act, then you would need to check if you own personal injury protection coverages (if you have this as part of your own auto insurance) would cover you and if not then your own health or medical insurance.

If you know someone who was a pedestrian hit by a vehicle and suffered injuries and you need more consumer advice on how to put an insurance claim, then contact the WA Office of Insurance Commissioner directly.

The registered owner of a vehicle is in a nursing home in Federal Way Washington state. The person has full insurance on the vehicle but cannot renew their drivers license. If someone else drives the vehicle with or without the owner in the vehicle, are they still covered?

Will

Federal Way, WA

If the owner of the car gives another person permission to drive their car typically it would be covered under their insurance. But one should always verify with the owner’s insurance provider before borrowing a friend’s car to make sure the policy would not exclude them for any reason.

If someone uses a person’s car without the owner’s permission it is unlikely that the driver would be covered if they get involve in an accident. Most insurance providers could deny a claim since the driver did not have the owner’s consent to be using the car.

Can you tell me the sort of coverage which will come with my Washington state SR22 auto insurance policy, if I buy just the minimum amount?

Jacob

Glad you asked, Jacob.

Washington state SR22 insurance can be bought with a fairly small amount of coverage, at least compared to a few other states. Since Washington is an at fault car insurance state, all you need to purchase to meet the minimum requirements of the auto insurance laws is liability coverage. Liability coverage includes property and injury liability. The property liability is the coverage for those damages made by the person who is found at fault for the accident (if said person is you), while the injury liability is for the injuries of the driver/passengers of the vehicle found not to be at fault, but not for the drivers or passengers of the at fault vehicle.

In Washington state SR22 policies, you must have the following amounts of each one of these:

• A $50,000 injury liability limit per crash, with $25,000 alotted to each person.
• $10,000 in property damage liability.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

What are Washington SR22 rates like these days?

Amber

Thanks for asking, Amber.

WA SR22 rates are pretty median compared to the rest of the states, coming in with the 19th highest rates, followed closely by Florida and Pennsylvania. The average rates for car insurance in Washington are around $803 a year, but of course, SR22 rates will tend to e twice–or in some very bad cases, even three times–that amount.

This isn’t to say that the best SR22 rates are going to be $1600. It’s likely that if you get such a price, then you aren’t looking hard enough. Sure, that may be the average price, but it’s also the average price which is quoted to the average person who does not shop for theit auto insurance online–unlike you.

Such average people pay a lot of money for their laziness–an estimated $400 on average for their premiums. They pay so much for their premiums simply because of the fact that they aren’t shopping around for their auto insurance quotes. When you pull up your SR22 rates online from several different companies, you can see the wide variances and make a better choice than the average Joe.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.