Car Insurance Rates and how DUI Conviction Affects Them

Car insurance is already expensive, but what happens after a DUI conviction? If you’ve been arrested and charged with DUI, you already know that you’re facing some serious consequences. Whether it’s your first DUI or your second, you’re going to be facing fines, a driver’s license suspension, and potential jail time. On top of that, you’re worried that your insurance rates are going to go up. In fact, when our criminal defense lawyers meet with clients for the first time, this is one of the questions they ask us. One would think they’d be more concerned with the thousands of dollars they’ll have to pay the state or the hours of community service they may be ordered to work. And most of them are. However, many of them are also thinking long term and are worried that it’ll be years before they can pay a normal car insurance rate again.

We suggest that if you’ve been arrested for DUI, you go online and search for the “best DUI defense lawyer near me.” Our firm should appear right at the top of your search results, along with our phone number and contact information. You should contact our office as soon as possible after your arrest because you’ll have to attend your first appearance in a matter of days. This is where you’ll have to let the judge know whether you plead guilty or not guilty. You won’t want to attend this hearing by yourself if possible. Once the prosecutor sees that you do not have an attorney, they may not be willing to even discuss a plea deal with you. Most pro se criminal defendants get to talk to the prosecutor for about 30 seconds. This is hardly enough time to explain what happened and to try to get your charges reduced or dismissed. If you have an attorney, this won’t be the case. Your attorney will get the ear of the prosecutor long enough to try to negotiate a plea deal. However, unless they’re able to get the charges dismissed altogether, you should expect your insurance rates to skyrocket.

Do You Have Any Prior Convictions for DUI?

One of the first questions our criminal defense lawyers ask new clients is whether they have prior convictions for DUI. If this is your second DUI arrest, you’ll be facing even more serious consequences then the first time around. For example, it may be harder to get a provisional driver’s license the second time around. As a subsequent offender, you won’t qualify for any of the state diversion programs. If you’re lucky enough to get probation, you’ll more than likely be required to carry special Insurance.

When the prosecutor discusses your plea deal with your criminal defense lawyer, one thing they’ll bring up is your insurance. For people who are habitual offenders of DUI, the state often requires that you carry SR22 auto insurance. This is insurance that guarantees to provide significant coverage in case you happen to get into a DUI accident down the road. You’ll be required to show the court and your probation officer a copy of your insurance certificate confirming that you have the requisite coverage. You’ll be required to carry this insurance for the duration of your probationary period. If for some reason you fail to maintain this car insurance, your probation will be revoked, and the judge will hold you to the original sentence intended for you.

Your Criminal Defense Lawyer Will Try to Get the Charges Reduced or Dismissed

Depending on the facts of your case, your attorney is going to try to get the charges against you reduced or even dismissed. If the state has significant evidence showing that you were drunk at the time of your arrest, this will be difficult to do. Sometimes, even the best DUI defense lawyers near you are unable to get you a good plea deal.

For example, if your breathalyzer showed a blood alcohol concentration of .12, nobody is going to convince the prosecutor that you were not intoxicated at the time of your arrest.

If you refused to take a breathalyzer test, your attorney will be hard pressed to get the prosecutor to offer any plea deal. Part of the evidence the state will put forth will be a video of you performing your field sobriety test. If need be, the judge or jury (if there is one) will have the opportunity to watch this video. If it appears in the video that you were extremely intoxicated at the time of your traffic stop, it will be almost impossible to get your charges dismissed or reduced.

This doesn’t mean that your criminal defense lawyer won’t try, it just means that the odds may be slim to none. The problem with this is that if you can’t get the charges reduced or dropped, you can guarantee that your insurance rates will go up. Even if your attorney can get the charges reduced to a reckless driving charge, this will usually increase your insurance rates as well.

The Judge May Require You to Increase Your Car Insurance Coverage

Whether you’re convicted or put on probation, there is a good chance the judge will require you to increase your car insurance coverage. The reason for this is that people who drive drunk pose a serious threat to the public safety. If you’ve already shown that you’re willing to disregard the law, there’s no reason for the court to think you won’t do it again. The reason they require you to increase your insurance coverage is because the odds of you getting into a serious accident are higher than your average driver. Since DUI crashes are much more serious than other accidents, your car insurance company will have to cover a significant amount of damages. The courts want to make sure that you have as much coverage as possible to compensate any accident victims.

Go Online and Search for the “Best DUI Defense Lawyer Near Me”

If you or one of your family members have recently been arrested for DUI in Idaho, it’s in your best interest to call for help. If you don’t have the opportunity to call, one of your friends or family members can go online and search for the “best DUI defense lawyer near me.” The name and number of our firm will appear at the top of your search results. Take down our contact information and call so you can schedule your initial meeting with one of our criminal defense lawyers. With so much at stake, the last thing you want to do is try to handle this matter on your own.