What Happens to My Car Insurance After Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI and DUI)?
Owning a car also carries responsibilities for the driver, such as not speeding, obeying signs, and complying with safety regulations. Unfortunately, there is a high rate of accidents caused by drunk drivers and surely you know someone who went through a situation like this.
But when you have an accident of this magnitude, you not only have to face the situation instantly, but you also have to pay some of its consequences. In the United States, there is a difference between driving while intoxicated (DWI) and driving under the influence of substances (DUI). The first indicates that the driver is under a high toxic level of substances and the second when it is a moderate amount of intoxication.
Therefore, each one is considered a crime and is punished differently. But it all depends on the county you are in. Some cities have zero-tolerance policies for any percentage of alcohol found in the driver’s blood.
How Do Dui and Dwi Affect Your Car Insurance?
If the driver has auto insurance, then they could be covered after the accident. However, after this, your auto insurance will have some modifications such as:
- Cancel the renewal of the policy:Â Although the insurer will not be able to withdraw your service instantly, it can cancel the renewal until your current coverage expires.
- Increase in your future policies: In several cities in the United States, it is possible to find an increase in the policies of a person who had an accident in a toxic state.
- An increase in the cost of the policy: After a DUI or DWI the insurance rate can increase from 30% to 100%. This is because it is a risk for any insurer and most of the time the car is severely damaged.
After a DUI accident, you must file the FR.19, FR44, or SR-22 form depending on your case. This is to prove that you have auto insurance or else you will not be allowed to drive again. Request these forms from your insurance agency, you must have your auto insurance policy at hand.
It is possible that after an accident of this type, the agencies will deny you the service to cover you while others will take advantage of it to raise their costs. For this reason, you must make a comparison of their services and rates before selecting auto insurance. This allows you to get the best rate on the market after having suffered a DUI or DWI.
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