What Happens If Your Car Insurance Lapses in Illinois
A lapse is not only a gap in protection. In most states it is a reportable event with its own penalties.
- If you are under an SR-22
- Driving record suspended on the SR-26
When an SR-22 lapses the insurer files an SR-26 with the Secretary of State and the driving record is suspended immediately. The suspension cannot be lifted until a new filing is on file.
- Reinstatement fee
- $100
$100 to reinstate a vehicle registration suspended for no insurance, paid online at ILIVS.COM. A repeat offender must also serve a four-month suspension first. A driver's license suspended by a Section 3-707 conviction also costs $100 to reinstate.
- Proof at a traffic stop
- Required
Every driver must carry evidence of insurance in the vehicle and display it on request by a uniformed officer. Failing to do so is treated as operating an uninsured vehicle. An image on a phone counts. Showing a card you know is invalid or counterfeit is a Class 4 felony.