Will My Insurance Rates Go Up After a DUI in Georgia?

DUI convictions come with serious criminal penalties, including jail time, fines, and a driver’s license suspension. There are, however, a number of indirect consequences of such a conviction, including the increasing of insurance rates for the same type and amount of coverage. Read on to learn more about how DUIs can impact your own insurance policy.

DUIs Can Affect Auto Insurance Rates 

To many insurers, DUIs on a person’s record can be indicative of general recklessness and an increased likelihood of committing similar offenses in the future. For these reasons, most insurance companies consider those with DUI convictions as being high-risk drivers, which means that they are also deemed more likely to cause accidents and file insurance claims in the future. This in turn almost always leads to higher premiums to offset the insurer’s risk in taking on a high-risk motorist. Unfortunately, these premium hikes are often hundreds of dollars more than a motorist previously paid, which can be hard to overcome financially. In fact, some studies have revealed that a DUI increases auto insurance rates by between 70 and 90 percent.

DUIs Can Result in Policy Cancellations 

Besides higher premiums, DUIs can also lead to the outright cancellation of the insurance policy itself, as many insurers include clauses in their small print stating that such an offense voids the entirety of the policy. In other cases, an insurer may simply refuse to renew the driver’s insurance when the policy expires. In these instances, drivers are often forced to seek coverage from specialty insurance companies that charge much higher rates than their competitors.

Mitigating the Impact of a DUI 

Although DUI convictions can have significant repercussions for auto insurance policies, there are a few steps that drivers can take to help mitigate the impact of having a DUI on their record. Challenging a DUI charge, exploring options for plea bargains, or accepting reduced charges, for instance, can help alleviate some of the penalties of a DUI conviction, as can:

• Agreeing to complete a defense driving course; and
• Completing a drug or alcohol treatment program.

These kinds of efforts can help demonstrate to insurance companies that a DUI offender made a one-time mistake, has learned from it, and is now committed to safer driving behavior. Unfortunately, taking these measures doesn’t guarantee a fair price from an auto insurer, which is why it’s so important for those who have been accused of driving under the influence to mount a strong defense from the outset of their case and so potentially avoid a conviction at all.

A Dedicated Cobb County DUI Lawyer 

Increased insurance rates are only one of the many indirect consequences that DUI offenders face in Georgia. To help avoid such repercussions, reach out to experienced Cobb County DUI lawyer Andrew L. Schwartz, P.C. for help building your own defense strategy today. You can set up an initial consultation with a member of our legal team by calling our office at 678-853-2500 or by filling out one of our brief online contact forms.

Sources: 

forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/rate-increase-after-dui/

finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/car-insurance-after-dui-163728985.html