Insurance and Credit

If you are reading this article, chances are you or someone you know has gotten a DUI or DWI. Now, the question really is, can you afford keeping or finding car insurance? There are many options available to you, but you must be prepared to pay more than before the DUI or DWI.

Searching around online or by calling through your phone book can be trying at best. So, what do you need to look for when searching for car insurance? Just know ahead of time that many car insurance companies might not insure you depending upon your previous driving record.

The main thing to remember is that you are no longer just a regular driver. Once you have a DUI or DWI conviction, you are now classified as a high risk driver. This will bump you into a higher premium rate and also put you are a higher risk of being dropped should you have a claim.

Just because you are a high risk driver doesn’t mean that you didn’t learn anything from your incident. The main thing to remember is to be honest with your car insurance company upfront about your history. If you don’t, they can drop you and possibly you could face insurance fraud charges.

When you do find that insurance company that will insure you, prepare yourself for sticker shock. Most companies will sometimes charge fifty percent more for high risk driver car insurance than what you were paying. Of course, your previous driving record will also factor into the premium you pay.

Honesty is the best possible way to find cheap car insurance. Your current insurance company might even negotiate or keep you with a DUI/DWI, although you can expect to still pay a higher rate. Just be prepared that you might lose your car insurance with your current company even if you are honest. It will depend upon your previous driving record and claims.

Not telling your car insurance company about your DUI or DWI will only hurt you in the long run. Why? Well, if you are searching for a new car insurance company and they find out after the fact of your DUI or DWI or previous claims, they can and will drop you. This will hurt you from finding another insurance company because of the problems this creates with classifying you as a high risk driver.

Sometimes your current car insurance company will still continue to insure you after a DUI/DWI conviction. Your rates will be higher, however. This is when you should go ahead and shop around and see if you can find the insurance cheaper elsewhere. Sometimes you can find great deals online and even have car insurance quotes delivered to your email account.

When you are faced with a DUI, one of the tough issues you will end up encountering will be finding cheap car insurance. It doesn’t matter what your driving record was before your DUI as your record has now changed.

Once you have the “tag” of being a high risk driver, finding cheap car insurance will be tougher if you need to look around at other companies. With all insurance companies having access to your history and driving records through the State DMV, they will see about your previous driving history. It will then be up to them to either decline your coverage or offer it with a high premium rate.

When you are classified as a high risk driver, you will be paying more. Sometimes the same insurance company that you were with before your DUI, if they don’t drop your coverage, will reassess your rates and it could be almost twice as much, if not more.

When you are shopping around for cheap DUI car insurance, you will be talking to numerous agents. You will want to be honest with them about your record because they can, and will find out the truth about your DUI history. Don’t take their decision personally as each company has strict guidelines that they follow about who they will insure.

If you are not honest about your DUI, the company will find it on your records check. This could lead to them dropping you if you have already been given coverage. Or, if they don’t drop you, expect a large rate increase to reflect the discovery of your record.

Anyway that you look at it, if you have a DUI on your record, finding the best car insurance after your DUI is going to take some time if you are dropped or your rates are increased. Finding the cheapest car insurance coverage after your conviction is possible, but don’t expect for it to be cheap.