Young Driver Auto Insurance Evanston Illinois IL
Reader’s Question:
We live in Evanston, Illinois. My son is nineteen, a full-time student in Arizona, and wants to purchase a vehicle (that we may need to co-sign). If the vehicle is bought in Arizona, can we insure it by adding an additional vehicle to our existing car insurance policy in Illinois? Or, should we remove his name as a driver from the other two vehicles for which we have car insurance?
Anne
Evanston, IL
If your son buys a car in Arizona, I do not believe your car insurance policy in Evanston Illinois will cover him. Arizona law requires that every car operating on their public roads be covered by one of the statutory forms of financial responsibility through an insurance provider that is authorized to do business in Arizona. (The state of Arizona requires minimum levels of $15,000/$30,000 for bodily injury liability per accident and $10,000 for property damage liability.) As for taking off his name from your current Illinois auto insurance policy, you will need to discuss your options with your insurance provider.
Tags: auto insurance, car, teen insurance, Young driver car insurance
Speeding Ticket Question Bloomington Illinois IL
Reader’s Question:
I received a speeding ticket in the state of Kentucky almost 4 years ago as I was passing through the state. I did not pay the ticket, and for some reason I never received any notification from Kentucky regarding the ticket. I just renewed my driver’s license in Bloomington, Illinois and they did not mention of this ticket. Is it safe to assume that the police officer never turned in the ticket that I received?
Andrew
Bloomington, IL
Many states have reciprocal arrangements and give ticket information to the motorist’s home state. The newly created driver’s license agreement, that replaces the previous driver’s compact, requires members states to notify tickets received by drivers to the state in which they hold a license from the state in which the ticket was received. Kentucky and Illinois are part of this interstate compact.
Sharing information between DMVs is a complex system with many databases being involved so occasionally there may be an error that prevents the ticket information from being transferred. This is probably what may have happened in your situation in Bloomington, Illinois. To verify if the ticket has appeared in Illinois, your home state, you can check your motor vehicle record.
Tags: automobile, car insurance, traffic violation
SR22 Insurance Aurora Illinois IL
Reader’s Question:
My license is suspended due to DUI offense in Aurora, Illinois IL. Do I have options to reinstate suspended license in IL?
Nicky
Aurora, Illinois IL
A simple remedy is to purchase liability insurance utilizing the Illinois minimum requirements in filing an SR-22 high-risk auto insurance form with the State DMV. This is in compliance to the requirements of the State of Illinois. Minimum coverage for auto insurance in IL is 20/40/15.
SR22 policies in IL and in any other states may be one of two types: owner or non-owner policy. An owner policy is an insurance policy that provides liability coverage for the owner’s personal vehicle will be described in the insurance Declaration sheet. It can also be written and issued with collision and comprehensive coverage by your local insurer in Aurora, Illinois. Full coverage, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist, medical payments, towing and rental car payments may also be covered with additional premiums through your auto insurer in IL.
A non-owner policy, also known as an operator policy, is an insurance policy that provides basic mandatory liability coverage on any vehicle that you drive but do not own. A non-owner policy in Aurora may be written exclusive of existing insurance such that if other vehicles in the household have existing insurance, this policy may be issued discretely to satisfy the Illinois SR-22 high-risk auto insurance requirement. Your current insurance carrier in Aurora, Illinois does not need to be notified of your requirement for high-risk short term SR-22 insurance coverage. But you should be cautious since if the carrier discovers extreme violations, the premiums may be increased or the policy may be cancelled.
Tags: non-owner auto insurance, non-owner policy, sr22, SR22 filing
Auto Insurance Decatur Illinois IL
Reader’s Question:
How would my father’s premium rate change after he turns 75? Are we expecting an increase or a decrease? From what I know about insurance rates, age is considered a factor. Do you think his insurance company in Decatur, IL will do the same?.
Paul
Decatur, IL
Based on statistics, elderly drivers over the age of 75 are more risky, and when they are involved in crashes, they suffer more debilitating, long-term injuries. However, a research by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) in 1997 showed that relative to other drivers, drivers over age 75 experienced more losses — property damage and bodily injuries, so the ISO recommended eliminating the 20 percent discount, which would effectively be a rate increase. Since approximately one-third of all auto insurers in the nation subscribe to the ISO’s research, they have the option to use it in setting their own premium rates.
State laws do not permit car insurance companies to single out elderly drivers and raise car insurance rates solely because of age. Rather, they can legitimately increase premiums if they can show that drivers over age 75 are more risky, and when they are involved in crashes, they suffer more debilitating, long-term injuries than younger motorists. Contacting your Decatur, IL insurance agent to know more about the terms of your father’s insurance policy may help you size up the possible change in your father’s car insurance rate.
Tags: automobile, car insurance rate
Car Insurance Bloomington Illinois IL
Reader’s Question:
I was cited for negligent driving in Bloomington IL, I had a clean driving record before and this is my first offense. How is my car insurance going to be affected by it and are will it take years before it goes off my driving record?
Charles
Bloomington, IL
Negligent driving is defined in Illinois as the action committed when a person operates a motor vehicle carelessly or without exercising due care for the safety of others. IL just recently added a vehicle code that if a person is convicted of negligent driving, his driving privileges will be suspended for a fixed period of time in addition to any penalty imposed.
In Illinois, moving violations remain on your Illinois driver’s record for 4 to 5 years from the date of conviction. The information will be carried on your driving record for a minimum of 7 years from the date of reinstatement if the ticket you received forms the basis for a suspension or revocation.
Your insurance premiums may be affected by a citation for an offense such as this. You will need to ask your Bloomington, IL insurance agent to find out if the violation will affect your premium since insurance companies vary on their rating system. You can shop around for auto insurance comparison quotes online if your premiums do increase after receiving the ticket.
Tags: auto insurance, automobile, traffic violation
Illinois IL DUI Insurance
Reader’s Question:
I would like to know how long a DUI stay on your driving record in the Illinois state?
Paul
Chicago, IL
From my research on that a DUI conviction does not come off of your driving record in the State of Illinois. A DUI remains on your driver’s abstract for your lifetime.
According to the IL Secretary of State (SOS) traffic violations such as disregarding a traffic control light, improper lane usage, speeding, etc. stay on a driver’s record for 4-5 years from the date of infraction.
To check how long your insurance carrier can rate you for the DUI you can check with your insurance provider to verify how far back their “look back” period and verify with the IL Division of Insurance to check what state law says about this specific situation.
Tags: auto insurance, drunk driving insurance, DUI, DUI insurance
SR22 Question Illinois IL
Reader’s Question:
What is an SR-22 and when do I need it?
Cathy
Aurora, IL
Hello there, Cathy. I am glad you asked about SR-22.
In essence, an SR-22, (Financial Responsibility Form) is a certificate of insurance issued by an insurance company that shows proof of liability insurance to the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV). If you file an SR-22, it will serve as your tracking device, and the insurance company that issues the SR-22 filing will notify the DMV any time the policy cancels, or is changed. This is normally required for reinstatement after a license has been suspended or revoked.
So what happens if you are required to show proof of Financial Responsibility or SR-22 to the DMV to have your driver’s license reinstated? Then you must file one yourself or pay for SR22 insurance policy to do it for you. Your insurance card or even your insurance binder is not considered proof practically because an SR-22 is a separate filing by an insurance company that is sent to you. This can also be done from the SR-22 insurance directly to your the DMV of Illinois, usually the SAME DAY.
An SR-22 can be purchased whether you own a vehicle or not. It can also be purchased as a liability only policy on an auto, or liability plus full coverage (comprehensive and collision). It is important to note that in many cases, SR-22 insurance needs to be kept for a period of three years. This is also applicable to a motorcycle policy.
Illinois IL Car Insurance Question
Reader’s Question:
If your vehicle is totaled can you purchase it back from the insurance provider in Illinois? If so, how much is the buy back, is it a percentage of the price the insurance paid as the totaled cost?
Helen
Decatur, IL
The Illinois Department of Insurance states that one cannot normally keep a car after it has been declared a total loss. The Illinois Vehicle Code does not allow you the right to retain the salvage once the insurance carrier has deemed your car a total loss. This is done by the state so in an effort to minimize car “chop shop” crime.
Many insurance companies will permit you to “buy back” a car they have totaled out if you wish to repair it and make it useful again. If the vehicle is paid off, insurance companies will normally take the salvage value out of the settlement payment in fact if you request. The insurance providers determines the salvage value.
If you want to buy back a vehicle from an insurance provider that deemed it a total loss discuss the value of the vehicle and the cost to buy it back.
Illinois IL Auto Insurance Rate
Reader’s Question:
I got a speeding ticket in IL while visiting there. I am from OH and my car is registered there. At the time of the infraction, I did not present my car insurance. I showed the insurance of the car owner. The law enforcement officer said that since it’s out of state, if I pay the ticket, no insurance points will go on my driving record nor on my car insurance. Is this true?
Ben
Bloomington, Illinois (IL)
In Illinois, any infraction you receive goes on your motor vehicle report. It doesn’t matter what state you are licensed in. It does not matter in what state you received the ticket. Plus, if you move, any tickets you receive with your IL driver’s license will follow you to your new state of residence, and the driver’s license you got from that state. That being said, if this was your 1st ticket, you might not see any change in your insurance rates. Most states have laws concerning when and why auto insurance companies can change policyholders’ premiums; often, insurers are not allowed to raise your rates after just one speeding ticket or other citation. Different carriers have different practices when it comes to increasing premiums. Some carriers will consider the severity of your infraction and raise your rates accordingly; others will raise rates a specific amount per violation.
Illinois Car Insurance DUI
Reader’s Question:
I got a DUI in New Jersey where I lived in summer 1997 and I paid all the penalties with that. Since 1998, I have lived in New York without a vehicle. Now almost 10 years after the infraction, I am moving to IL where I will need a vehicle and insurance. Can you tell me the auto insurance consequence for me in Illinois?
Jason
Arlington Heights, IL
You say you have paid and took care all of your penalties for your New Jersey conviction for a DUI so this should include the three year insurance surcharge of $1000 as New Jersey law requires. If this is the case it is possible that this nearly ten year old conviction will not affect your car insurance in IL. What might cause higher insurance rates is that you have not been insured for such a long period of time.
The mandatory minimum insurance in Illinois is 20/40/15, meaning $20,000 for injury or death of one person in an accident up to $40,000 for injury or death of more than one person in an accident and property damage to of another person for $15,000 . Once you purchase your vehicle in IL, you may shop around online to find the car insurance that you need.
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