Ohio vs Washington

Offer-and-reject. RCW 48.22.030 requires every liability policy to include UIM coverage — which Washington defines broadly to bundle uninsured + underinsured + hit-and-run + phantom-vehicle — defaulting to the same limits as the liability coverage, but the named insured or spouse may reject it in writing. PIP is likewise optional: offered on every policy, waivable in writing (RCW 48.22.085).

Scenario-dependent. No-insurance/FRA path: 1 year (BMV form 3135; §4509.45). OVI/other court suspensions: proof of FR (SR-22) must be maintained through the reinstatement and runs with the court suspension term (OVI suspensions range 1 yr to 12 yrs depending on offense count, §4511.19).

FRA/no-insurance path: from the date the registrar imposes the suspension (§4509.45). OVI path: runs with the court-ordered suspension and continues past reinstatement.

From the date proof was required (RCW 46.29.600(1)(a)) — not the reinstatement date and not the conviction date. tolls, doesn't restart: if the person surrenders the license and reapplies within the window, proof is reestablished for the remainder of the 3 years (46.29.600(3)).

Scenario-dependent. No-insurance/FRA: $40 (1st) / $300 (2nd) / $600 (3rd+) — BMV form 3135 + §4509.101. OVI: a higher reinstatement fee set by §4511.191(F)(2) (commonly ~$475, higher for repeat offenses).

The FRA reinstatement fee ($40/$300/$600) covers the no-insurance suspension. Separate security/judgment suspensions after an uninsured crash carry their own reinstatement.

Administrative FRA suspension model — no per-offense criminal fine for the FR violation itself. 1st offense: license lost until requirements met; $40 reinstatement. Driving during an FRA suspension (§4510.16) is an unclassified misdemeanor, fine up to $1,000.

Traffic infraction (not a crime) — monetary penalty set by the Washington Supreme Court penalty schedule under RCW 46.63.110; the statute (RCW 46.30.020(1)(d)) sets no fixed dollar amount and no first/subsequent escalation. The commonly assessed penalty is approximately $550 (court rule, not statute). Showing you were actually insured at the time gets the citation dismissed for a $25 administrative cost (46.30.020(2)).

Same as first — RCW 46.30.020 sets no first/subsequent distinction; driving uninsured is a single-tier traffic infraction with the penalty set by the Supreme Court schedule (46.63.110). No escalation by prior count.

OVI (§4511.19): 1st = 1-3 years; 2nd within 10 yrs = 1-7 years + 90-day vehicle immobilization; 3rd = 2-12 years; 4th/5th+ (felony F4) = class two suspension (3 years to life). Limited driving privileges and IID/unlimited-privileges options available per §4510.13 / §4510.022.

two parallel tracks with day-for-day credit (46.61.5055(9)(b)). administrative (implied consent, RCW 46.20.308 -> periods in 46.20.3101): triggered by a breath/blood test at or above 0.08 (0.02 under-21) or a refusal; headline periods — test failure suspends at least 90 days, refusal revokes at least 1 year; 30-day temporary license from arrest, 7-day window to request a hearing ($375 fee). conviction-based (46.61.5055(9)): below 0.15 -> 90-day suspension (no prior) / 2-year revocation (1 prior) / 3-year (2+); 0.15 or above -> 1-year / 900-day / 4-year; refusal -> 2-year / 3-year / 4-year. Mandatory IID on all vehicles (46.61.5055(5), 46.20.720) for 1/5/10 years by prior IID restrictions. Revocation grounds also in 46.20.285 (DUI 1-year baseline; vehicular homicide 2 years).

OVI fines (§4511.19): 1st $565-$1,075; 2nd (within 10 yrs) $715-$1,625; 3rd $1,040-$2,750; 4th/5th+ (F4 felony) $1,540-$10,500. Mandatory minimum jail/intervention escalates with each offense.

RCW 46.61.5055, by prior offenses in 7 years and BAC tier (gross misdemeanor unless felony). No prior: 24 hrs-364 days jail + $350-$5,000 (<0.15); 48 hrs + $500-$5,000 (>=0.15 or refusal). 1 prior: 30 days + 60 days EHM + $500-$5,000 (<0.15); 45 days + 90 days EHM + $750-$5,000 (>=0.15/refusal). 2 priors: 90 days + 120 days EHM + $1,000-$5,000 (<0.15); 120 days + 150 days EHM + $1,500-$5,000 (>=0.15/refusal). 3+ priors in 15 years -> class B felony under ch 9.94A (46.61.502(6)). Minor-passenger enhancements add IID time, jail, and fines. Mandatory minimums are largely non-suspendable.

Driving under OVI suspension (§4510.14): M1, mandatory 3-day jail, $250-$1,000 fine, 30-day vehicle immobilization (1st); escalates. Driving under FRA suspension (§4510.16): unclassified misdemeanor, fine up to $1,000. General driving-under-suspension (§4510.11): M1. Driving under a 12-point suspension (§4510.037): M1, minimum 3-day jail (non-suspendable).

RCW 46.20.342, three degrees. first degree (habitual offender driving under a ch 46.65 revocation): gross misdemeanor, mandatory minimum jail 10 days (1st) / 90 (2nd) / 180 (3rd+), non-suspendable; +1-year revocation extension. second degree (suspended for a serious reason — DUI, vehicular homicide/assault, felony-vehicle, hit-and-run, prior DWS, administrative action): gross misdemeanor (up to 364 days / $5,000); +1-year no-new-license. third degree (suspended for administrative/financial reasons, including failure to furnish proof of FR / SR-22 under ch 46.29): misdemeanor (up to 90 days / $1,000); no extension. So driving while suspended solely for an unfiled SR-22 is the lightest tier (3rd degree).

An OVI conviction OR a §4511.191 implied-consent suspension (refusal or over-the-limit test) disqualifies a CDL for 1 year (1st) or life (2nd) (§4506.16(D)). Disqualification is 3 years if hauling hazmat at the time. Per §4506.16(F), the offense counts even when committed in a personal (non-commercial) vehicle if it occurred after the person obtained the CDL or on/after 9/30/2005. A test refusal also = immediate 24-hour out-of-service (§4506.17). Two serious traffic violations in 3 years = 60-day disqualification; three or more = 120 days.

RCW 46.25.090 (federal FMCSA structure). 1-year disqualification (first major offense): DUI — including a DUI in a non-commercial vehicle (0.08) — or CMV at 0.04+ BAC or any THC; refusal; leaving the scene; vehicle used in a felony; CMV-while-disqualified; negligent-operation fatality. 3-year if the offense occurred while transporting hazardous materials. lifetime (reducible to 10 years per federal rule) for a 2nd major offense. lifetime, no reduction: a vehicle used in a controlled-substance manufacture/distribution felony or a human-trafficking offense. Lesser ladders: serious traffic violations (60 days 2nd / 120 days 3rd in 3 years), out-of-service-order violations, railroad-crossing violations. CMV alcohol threshold is 0.04. Important for CDL holders: a DUI in a personal (non-commercial) vehicle still triggers a 1-year CDL disqualification.