DHSMV Issues Alert Regarding Financial Responsibility Requirements for DUI Cases

Signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist on June 15, 2007, House Bill 359 regarding Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility requires all drivers convicted of driving under the influence (“DUI”) after October 1, 2007 to obtain higher limits of liability insurance upon reinstatement of their driving privileges. The requirement to maintain higher limits of liability is required for three years from the date of the reinstatement, at which point the driver is no longer required to carry the higher limits. 
 
A driver who has been convicted of DUI after October 1, 2007 must provide proof that he or she has purchased insurance pursuant to the statutory requirements of HB 359 before a vehicle can be registered in his or her name.
 
Drivers subject to these requirements are required to pay the reinstatement fees established in Section 627.733(7) F.S. for failing to maintain proper insurance coverage. 

The Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (“DHSMV”) issued the Memorandum below to Florida property and casualty insurers regarding new procedures that the DHSMV is implementing to process matters involving these increased liability limits for DUI cases. 

 

February 13, 2008
       
      
TO:                   All Fire and Property and Casualty Companies
                        Authorized to Issue Motor Vehicle Policies in Florida
      
FROM:              Deborah Todd, Chief
                        Bureau of Financial Responsibility
      
SUBJECT:         Programming Changes needed for Electronic SR21-Verification
                        Process and changes to manual verification paper list
      
Effective immediately, changes in identifying BIL/PDL limits need to be made to distinguish between lower limits (10k/20k/10k) and higher limits (100k/300k/50k) for convictions.  
     
The FR DUI Conviction cases will begin with an ‘X’, for example ‘X12345678’.  The ‘X’ will now indicate it is a DUI Case requiring the verification of higher limits of 100k/300k/50k.  We will also continue to send Non-DUI related Conviction ‘4’ Cases requiring verification of lower limits of 10k/20k/10k. Examples of Conviction “4” Cases are: Vehicular Homicide, Insurance Fraud, Manslaughter, etc.

In order to put this in place, we will print the FR DUI cases that need to be verified to a manual verification paper list until companies can individually program for the new ‘X’ Case Type.  Once a company is ready to test, you can email InsFTP@hsmv.state.fl.us for further assistance.

Electronic Transaction Type 21 will now have the following description:

Filed Position 70 – 78 will now be an alphanumeric field.

• • Field Position 70 for PIP and PDL must be 2, 7, 8, or 9

• • Field Position 70 for BI and PDL 10k/20k/10k limits must be 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6

• • Field Position 70 for BI and PDL 100k/300k/50k must be X 
      

DLT/llr
      

 

Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact this office.

 

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