Your auto insurance company will take care of the SR 22, a form for the DMV required under DUI laws. The SR 22 basically is a communication form between your insurance company and the DMV, and a way to keep tabs on your continued financial responsibility. Basically, the DUI makes you a greater risk to have driving around, and the DMV wants to make sure you won't get into an accident and not be able to pay for it.

You must have the SR 22 form on file for the amount of time the DMV says, perhaps three years. If you change your insurance without telling the insurance company, the insurance company will tell the DMV and your license will be suspended.

Call Your Insurance Company

After your DUI or DWI conviction, one of the first things you’ll need to do is call up your insurance company and let them know what happened. They will probably reassess your auto insurance and give you a new quote. This quote, due to your conviction and your higher liability, will be much more expensive than what you were paying before.

Then, most auto insurers will go ahead and file the SR 22 for you electronically. You don’t have to do anything except make the phone call, and pay for the insurance and SR 22 filing fee, around $25.

Alternatives to SR 22

If you don’t want to file an SR 22, you can instead front a large amount of cash to prove your financial responsibility. This is generally in the neighborhood of $55,000 that you must deposit in an untouchable account with the State Treasurer. This, of course, is not feasible for most people; even if you had this cash, you will not collect interest or derive any sort of benefit from the money this way. You may also be able to use a real estate or surety bond instead of the SR 22; ask your DMV for details.

These SR 22 regulations are part of why it’s wise to consult with a DUI lawyer before your drunk driving conviction is finalized. If you can avoid any of these penalties under DWI law, you attorney will tell you. In addition, if you fail to inform your insurance company about the SR 22 requirement, or if you change insurers without letting the company know, the insurance company will contact the DMV and your license will be suspended without further ado.