A DUI (driving under the influence) conviction can cause some financial difficulties. Not only will you have attorney's fees, fines and other expenses, you're also going to see an increase in your auto insurance rate for the next several years. You'll pay about 00 more in auto insurance over the next three to five years, according to statistics.
There are some steps you can take to help avoid paying enormous auto insurance rates after being pulled over for DUI. It is always wise to try and fight the charge. It is a wise idea to get an attorney and go to court. Avoiding a conviction will protect your insurance rate along with your driving record and criminal record. Though a DUI conviction will come off your driving record in 3-10 years, depending upon where you live, it will remain on your criminal record forever.
If you are convicted, it is very important to follow the court's requirements of you, and to be cooperative. Follow your driving restrictions to the letter by not driving if your license is suspended or revoked. If you're permitted to drive only to and from work, then follow those restrictions. Perform any community service required quickly and be a cooperative and cheerful community service worker, and attend your safe driving class promptly if required. The courts can be very hard on DUI offenders who aren't cooperative about their sentence requirements
The ramifications of your conviction on your auto insurance will come after your conviction. If you've been with your insurance company for a long time, you could get lucky. Insurance companies may rarely check the driving records of their current customers. If your insurance company does find out about your DUI conviction, they will either raise your rate or cancel your policy.
If your current company increases your rates, you can consider some other options. Compare your increased premium with those of companies that specialize in DUI offenders. If your current policy is canceled, you may have to choose such a carrier, but they may give you a better rate, even if your current carrier doesn't cancel you.
If your policy with your current company isn't canceled, you should talk to your agent about ways to reduce your rate increase by temporarily decreasing coverage. You can always increase the coverage again once your DUI is off your record.
If you've received a DUI conviction, you're likely going through a very difficult time. In the long run, however, the difficulty should be productive. You've probably realized that drinking and driving is no small matter. Of course, if you avoided an accident, and didn't harm yourself or someone else, you can be thankful that the only damage was to your driving record and your auto insurance rate.
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