Legal Question in Traffic Law in Washington

With a Neg 1 charge, is there a requirement for special car insurance going forward? Is it my responsibility to inform my insurer or anything of the sort?


Asked on 4/25/22, 11:00 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Jahnis Abelite ABELITE LAW OFFICES, P.S.

It depends. Was the Neg 1 charge the original charge that was filed against the driver in a court case? Or was the original charge a DUI that was later amended down to a Neg 1? If there was a DUI arrest with a breath test result of .08 or higher, then DOL would be involved and a possible suspension of at least 90 days may have occurred. If that is the case, then there would be a requirement for SR-22 insurance and the driver would have had to obtain such insurance from his then present auto insurance company or another auto insurance company. If the Neg 1 charge was the original charge, there normally would be no requirement for SR-22 insurance to be in effect for the usual three year period. A driver normally has no duty to inform his auto insurance company of a conviction for Neg 1 unless the driver works in a job where he/she drives for a living and must maintain a clean driving record and report any serious traffic violations of the law, of which Neg 1 is just one of those types of violations. You should also know that insurance companies routinely check each insured driver's driving records every 12 to 24 months to make sure they know what the driving behaviors are of their insured customers.

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Answered on 4/26/22, 4:42 pm


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