Q: Will getting into an accident interfere with my SR22 filing?

A: Getting into a car accident will not directly affect your SR22 filing, but it could do so indirectly. Your SR22 filing is only affected by whether or not you are paying for car insurance. If you have car insurance, your SR22 status is fine. If you don’t, then it isn’t, and you can lose your license. What could affect your SR22 filing is your posession of car insurance coverage, which can be affected by an accident.

If you are already a high risk customer–which you probably are, since you are filing SR22 insurance–then getting into an accident which is caused by your own negligent driving is almost certain to cause negative consequences. While some companies may be lenient and simply raise the rates on your premiums as a result of the accident, other companies may choose to cancel your car insurance policy as soon as they find out.

You should remember, though, that your car insurance company may not necessarily find out about your accident. Most companies only check your record once a year or even once every three years, so your accident may have fallen off your record by the time they check. However, if they don’t find out on their own and you don’t tell them, then once they do find out they could still cancel your policy because of misrepresentation.