Whatever the reason, regardless of circumstance, and despite how much you may have progressed since, if you’ve received a DUI in the past, then you are going to deal with ramifications for a long time. What you can do, however, is start to better understand why it is costing you so much to have a DUI on your record. There are at least a few pieces of information that can help you to plan your future and hopefully save you some money in the process.
Why It Costs So Much
In short, insurance companies are trying to evaluate you as a person and as a driver so that they can predict how likely you are to cause an accident. Any sort of accident can cost them upwards of tens of thousands of dollars in claims. Any insurance provider will be hesitant to take on a client like you base do your driving history. It’s a just a fact.
A DUI on your permanent record shows that you made the decision to drive while under the influence. We all make mistakes, it’s our nature as humans, but to insurance companies, it means that you’re an at-risk driver, and you might do it again. Individual cases may vary, but the trends don’t lie and car insurance companies produce rates based on statistics and factors. A DUI is one of the major red flags, so you pay more on average.
Any Special Carriers
A good thing to know is that there are more and more insurance companies out there that are starting to look past that one mistake you made five years ago, and will rate drivers based on other factors.
When companies specialize in a certain type of market, they not only become good enough to compete in it but they also become better than most of the competition. If you find yourself working with an auto insurance company that works with specific risks, they are far more likely to evaluate you as an individual person and not just using a cookie-cutter process or formula. This is the best strategy you can use, because if you can prove you are moving forward, then you won’t be as big of a risk as someone who is apathetic about the whole process.
What You Can Do
Finally, if the DUI just occurred you may still have a chance of fighting it. This will obviously fall more into the realm of the law than just insurance, but if you can get that blemish removed from your record, then the insurance savings alone will almost certainly be worth the effort.
Another thing you could do is (at least for the short term) look to see what your options are as far as minimizing or eliminating driving. The only problem with this one is that it is extremely inconvenient.
Whatever your preferred strategy is concerning your driving record, the worst part of the process is now behind you. The most important thing now is to never drink and drive again. Not only do you risk losing your license and seeing a massive hike in your insurance premiums, you could also seriously injure or kill someone as well.
If you drink, don’t drive. Hail an Uber instead. If you text, don’t drive. Wait until you get home!
