It should be common sense that getting DUI offenses will not only get a license suspended, but it will also affect the offender’s car insurance; that is, once they get their car back from being impounded.  Driving under the influence (or DUI) is a serious offense. If anyone has ever had a DUI conviction, they most certainly know that the consequences can be both humiliating and expensive. Not only are DUI offenses put on the person’s record, but they also have to go through a long process of hiring a New York DWI attorney and the whole deal. Aside from the fines, DWI attorney fees, and license suspension, there are the more long-term consequences, such as the impact on the person’s car insurance rates and coverage.

 

There is no doubt that someone’s DUI offenses will be found out by the insurance company.  Once they do find out about the driving while intoxicated, they can choose to deal with it in one of two ways. Typically, after dealing with the DWI attorney, the person’s insurance rates will go up, sometimes substantially, or, if serious enough, the company will simply cancel the insurance policy altogether. If the insurance company raises the premiums and miraculously keeps the person insured, they will more than likely be labeled a “high-risk driver.” With some areas, like a Southampton DWI or a Mineola DWI, the court might require the insurance company to provide the state motor vehicle agency (DMV, MVD) with an SR-22 Proof of Insurance Certificate, which removes the person’s license suspension by providing the state with proof that they are insured.

 

Ay, there’s the rub.  This would all be fine and dandy if every insurance company in New York offered a SR-22 policy. So it could be possible that the person’s policy be non-renewed or cancelled simply because the company can no longer provide insurance for DWI offenses. In some areas, insurers can’t cut a person off in the middle of the policy term, but they will most likely be a “high risk driver” for the remainder of the insurance term.

 

Another scenario, while it is few and far between in number of occurrences, is that the insurance company doesn’t find out about the DUI offenses because, for whatever reason, it slips through the cracks of red tape. Occasionally, the insurer will not raise someone’s insurance rates or cancel the policy if they’ve been a long time insured customer with no other blemishes on their record. But this is also pretty unlikely.

 

In the event that someone’s insurance policy is cancelled or non-renewed, they will luckily still be able to find insurance. It will not likely be one of the preferred carriers, or the bigger names, but some smaller-known companies will cover the DUI offenses and file the SR-22 so the person’s license may be reinstated. Their insurance rates will most certainly be higher, particularly because DUI offenses remain on a driving record for anywhere from five years to life, depending on the state they were in while driving under the influence. To find new insurance coverage after a DUI, it’s probably best to go through an independent agent who works with many different insurance companies.