How A DUI Conviction Will Affect Insurance

DUI is a serious offense. If you have ever had a DUI conviction, you most certainly know that
the consequences can be both humiliating and expensive. Aside from the fines, attorney fees,
and license suspension, there are the more long-term consequences, such as the impact on
your car insurance rates and coverage.

If you are convicted of a DUI, more often than not, your insurance company will find out about
the DUI and will deal with you in one of two ways. Typically, your rates will go up, sometimes
substantially, or, the company will simply cancel your policy. If your insurance company raises
your premiums but keeps you as an insured, you will likely be labeled a "high-risk driver." Most
states require the insurance company to provide the state motor vehicle agency (DMV, MVD)
with an SR-22 Proof of Insurance Certificate, which removes your license suspension by
providing the state with proof that you are insured.

While this is all starting to sound fine and dandy, the catch is that not all insurance
companies offer SR-22 policies. So your policy may be non-renewed or cancelled simply
because the company can no longer provide insurance for you. In some states, insurers can't
cut you off in the middle of the policy term, so be sure to check on the laws where you live.

Another less-likely scenario is that your insurance company doesn't find out about your DUI
because, for whatever reason, it slips through the cracks of red tape. Occasionally, your insurer
will not raise your rates or cancel you if you've been a long time insured with no other
blemishes on your record. But this is also pretty unlikely.

Just something to consider.  
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  9155 S. Dadeland Boulevard, Suite 1412, Miami, Florida 33156