Raised Insurance Premiums Are A Long-Term Consequence
An alcohol-related car accident and subsequent drunk driving conviction can bring many negative consequences into your life, possibly including jail or prison time, a criminal record, guilt and grief over harm to others, higher insurance premiums and more. If you are arrested or charged with drunk driving, a lawyer from Andrews & Sanders Law Offices in Savannah can advise you about your legal rights and help you fight the charges.
After a drunk driving conviction and sentence, your driving privileges may still be intact or may be restored. However, the question of automobile insurance becomes more complex and expensive after a drunk driving conviction.
Effects Of A Drunk Driving Charge On Insurance Policies
Your automobile insurer will likely respond to your drunk driving conviction. Exactly what your insurance company legally can do varies from state to state, but your insurance company may cancel or decline to renew your policy, restrict coverage provisions or, at a minimum, increase your premiums.
Although the amount of increase can vary greatly, your premiums could go up as much as 100 percent or more. Your insurer’s reaction to your drunk driving may be worse if you have other strikes against you such as previous drunk driving convictions, traffic tickets, at-fault accidents, late or unpaid insurance premiums or other negative history with the insurer.
Seeking Insurance For High-Risk Drivers
If your insurance is canceled or raised to a prohibitively high price, you can seek coverage from an insurer that specializes in insuring high-risk drivers or from the high-risk division of a large insurance company. This type of auto policy, called a nonstandard policy, is especially geared toward the high-risk market of drivers such as those with drunk driving histories or other seriously negative driving records. Unfortunately, a nonstandard policy will likely have relatively high premiums.
State governments have set up systems for covering high-risk drivers uninsurable in the voluntary insurance market, passing on the costs of such systems to insurance companies. A common mechanism in Georgia is the assigned-risk pool, also known as a residual-insurance pool, where auto insurers are assigned a number of otherwise uninsurable drivers in proportion to the insurance companies’ presence in the state insurance market. Other publicly sustained insurance systems include joint underwriting associations and reinsurance facilities.
Speak To A Lawyer About Your Options
A drunk driving conviction can wreak havoc on your automobile insurance coverage. If you are feeling the negative effects of a drunk driving conviction, an attorney at our Savannah office can help you investigate solutions. Call 912-341-6861 or email us to set up a free consultation.