Other than a financed vehicle purchase, car insurance premiums are the most expensive thing about owning your own vehicle. You may have to fork over $100 or more per month depending on the vehicle you drive, the neighborhood you live in, the coverage you want and your previous driving record.
Many factors can increase or decrease how much you pay for insurance, but a significant driving incident is arguably the fastest way to push your insurance costs from reasonable to unaffordable. If you wind up charged with driving under the influence (DUI) in Pennsylvania, you will very likely feel the pain the next time you have to renew your insurance policy or change to a new insurance provider.
The amount the insurance company charges you stems from their calculations about the amount of risk you pose to them as a driver. Impaired driving directly increases the likelihood of a crash and major claims that could cost the insurance company thousands.
Can you avoid reporting your arrest to your insurance company?
When you renew a policy or get quotes for a new one, the companies that you communicate with typically ask you to provide information about your driving record. Many people might think that they can manipulate the quote they received by choosing not to report a DUI conviction.
Unfortunately, all their omission means is that they might get a quote for a policy that they can’t actually carry. Insurance companies typically always pull driving records for both new policy commitments and renewals of existing policies. In other words, withholding information about a DUI conviction won’t prevent your insurance company from learning about it and adjusting your rates accordingly.
You may not even be able to keep the same policy after a DUI
For some drivers with a relatively clean driving record prior to their conviction, it’s possible for them to stay with the same insurance company and retain the same policy, even if they have to pay an increased premium for the same coverage.
For others, especially those who already had a high-risk designation by their insurance provider, a DUI conviction may be all it takes to end your eligibility for your current form of coverage. That means you have to purchase a much higher cost policy that offers substantially lower protection. The insurance costs and consequences of a DUI are two more reasons to fight a pending impaired driving charge.
