Do I Need Gap Auto Insurance in Illinois?

Reader’s Question:

Is the gap auto insurance coverage already included if I loan my car here in Illinois or do I have to buy it separately along with my car insurance?

Irvin

Decatur, IL

Lots of lease agreements already have auto gap insurance coverage; however, you need to be completely in conformity with the agreement to be able to have the gap coverage paid out. Majority of gap coverage incorporated with a lease agreement need you to keep making monthly payments pending the receipt of the gap payment. In case you have finance for your car out of a bank in Illinois, you may not have an agreement that gives you with instant gap insurance coverage. A lot of car insurance companies offer gap insurance coverage but do not publicize the fact. Also, some of the large insurers do not market it at all.

Some car insurance companies offer gap coverage but it would only be for brand new vehicles that have never been titled and for those who have purchased a policy with collision and comprehensive insurance. Car insurance experts suggest that gap insurance should be bought when the vehicle is initially purchased since this is the time the gap is the biggest. Some insurers would let you buy gap insurance up to 11 months after you buy the vehicle, or if the vehicle is in the model year wherein the coverage is bought.

Out-Of-State DUI Conviction For Illinois Driver

Reader’s Question:

I live in Naperville, Illinois and I was just convicted for DUI in another state. My driving privileges have been removed from that state. Does my DUI conviction from another state mean that my Illinois driver’s license would be suspended?

Jerome
Naperville, IL

If you’re a resident of Naperville, Illinois, upon the receipt of the report of your DUI conviction from another state, the Illinois Secretary of State would automatically revoke your driver’s license. To avoid a license revocation, any reduction or amendment must be to an offense that would be recognized separately (that is, Reckless Driving) under the Illinois Motor Vehicle Code.

Since your out-of-state DUI case resulted in a conviction, it would usually take several weeks for the report of the conviction to reach the Illinois Secretary of State. But upon the receipt, the Secretary of State would immediately serve a Notice of Revocation upon you by mail. The revocation would be effective normally within a few days of mailing. If you no longer live in the same address listed on your driver’s license, you must change your address directly with the Secretary of State’s Drivers Services Department forthwith as official notices from the Secretary are not forwarded and your failure to actually receive the notice does not affect the validity or effective date of the revocation of your license.

Tags: driver’s license, DUI, DUI lawyer