• An SR-22 tells Texas law enforcement a driver has liability insurance coverage.broken car2 image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
  
  Texas law requires certain drivers to submit proof of insurance. A Texas SR-22 "certificate of insurance" shows the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) that the driver has insurance coverage for the required time period. People who have had their driving privileges suspended or revoked must have SR-22 insurance, according to the DPS. Under the Safety Responsibility or Evidence of Financial Responsibility law, SR-22 requirements include mandatory time periods for SR-22 coverage, minimum reporting requirements, and minimum insurance liability amounts for SR-22 policies.
  
  

Minimum Time

• An SR-22 issued by an insurance company and sent to the DPS certifies that a driver has motor vehicle liability insurance coverage. Drivers with certain license revocations, repeated convictions for violating mandatory insurance provisions, unsatisfied judgments against a driver stemming from an automobile accident and safety responsibility suspensions (uninsured driver involved in a collision and damages are not paid) must have SR-22 insurance. Form SR-22 insurance is mandatory for at least two years from the date of a conviction.
  
  

Minimum Reporting

• The responsibility of keeping the DPS informed that liability insurance is in effect rests with the insured and the insurance company. An insurance card or policy does not meet the requirements of an SR-22. The insurance company sends the the SR-22 directly to the DPS. Responsibility for renewing the insurance falls on the insured. If the driver does not renew insurance at least 15 days before expiration, the insurance company notifies the state. If a policy terminates, cancels or lapses and there is no valid SR-22 on file, driving privileges and vehicle registrations can be canceled.
  
  

Minimum Amounts

• According to the DPS, as of August 2010, the minimum liability coverage amounts are: "$25,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one accident; $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in one accident; $25,000 for damage to or destruction of property of others in one accident."